The Girl Who Survived: First Two Years
by Winxclubrocks
Summary: A collection of scenes from the first two movies, expanding on the prologue of the story. Making background references make sense, explaining why people may be OOC, all of it. Still don't own anything but the idea.
1. Leaving Bloom

Minerva McGonagall changes from her Animagus Form as Dumbledore walks up with his Deluminator, planning on telling the man that he simply _can't_ leave poor Bloom Potter with the Dursleys. "Tell me the rumors aren't true, Albus. Tell me Lily and James Potter are still alive."

He just gives her that sad look, and says "I'm afraid not, Professor. They are true - the good, and the bad."

"Where is she? Bloom?" Despite never having kids of her own, she's grown amazingly fond of young Bloom in the short time she's been here - she was found by Lily and James in a burning building at the end of July, only three months ago, and yet she made her way into the hearts of the entire Order. Even Moody, who's a paranoid loose cannon lately thanks to the war - not that anyone can entirely blame him, after the attack that cost him his eye - has warmed to the girl immensely.

And she's got an aptitude for magic unlike any the old Professor has seen before - when she claps, embers tend to rain down from her fingers. When she laughs, any fire in the area leaps higher and burns merrily.

The rumors say the Potters' house exploded, something about a gush of fire from the fireplace from the scorch marks - she can't really imagine that sweet girl harming a fly, much less killing Voldemort.

"And…Bloom?"

"Hagrid is bringing her. Not to worry, Minerva, there's not a scratch on her."

"Do you really think it's wise to trust Hagrid with such an important task?" She doesn't doubt Hagrid's loyalty for an instant - he'd take a Killing Curse for Dumbledore without even thinking. It's his capacity for caring for a small human girl who's _maybe_ a year old that has her worried - he's a half-giant, and he doesn't have the lightest of touches. He's amazing with Magical Creatures, but he just doesn't have the best way with humans some of the time.

"Minerva, I trust Hagrid with my life." There's suddenly a rumbling sound, and they see Hagrid on a flying motorcycle. "Hagrid, I trust everything's well?"

"No problems whatsoever, Professor. Little girl didn't even get cold, barely made a peep the whole way. She might'a dozed off, but I don't think so." He shows them the bundle, and Minerva feels a weight lift off her mind when she sees young Bloom Potter wrapped in the blanket - from that description, she feared he'd accidentally _lost_ her!

Minerva takes the young girl and starts looking her over immediately - as Albus said, there's no noticeable injuries on her. Not a scratch, despite the rumors saying she faced Voldemort.

That's when she notices two wide-awake blue eyes staring up at her. She swears there's a bit of sadness in those eyes.

She quietly coos "Oh, you poor dear…"

One finger brushes along Bloom's cheek, which gets gripped in a small but strong hand. Her heart nearly breaks at that point, it's like Bloom's asking her to take her away from here - she wants to do so immediately, these people are the worst sort imaginable.

Dumbledore takes the baby from her before she can say as much.

"Dumbledore, you can't mean to actually leave Bloom with these muggles! I've been watching them all day, and they're the worst sort imaginable! They are-"

"The only family she has left. She'll be safer here than anywhere else."

Minerva privately thinks the Fidelius Charm and an early education in magic would be better protection - they could put her with the Weasleys, she'd blend right in! Nearly the same shade of hair, and Molly adores young Bloom, and she and Ron seemed to get along the times they played together - bloody hell, Bloom and Ronald were running after the twins, chasing them down! As if anyone would suspect Bloom of _not_ being related to them at first glance!

Dumbledore says "She'll be safest here, Minerva. I've erected blood wards around the house. So long as she calls Four Privet Drive home, she'll be safe from any attack in these walls."

Minerva raises an eyebrow at him, and says "Wards such as those would require these repulsive people to actually care about her." She seriously doubts they care for anything other than themselves and their spoiled brat.

Dumbledore looks down at Bloom at that, to avoid his Transfiguration Professor's accusatory gaze…and finds something alarmingly similar in young Bloom Potter's blue gaze. He knows she's always been expressive in the months since she was found, but this is ridiculous - first she won't let Peter Pettigrew anywhere _near_ her, taking to literally _everyone_ else like a duck to water, _now_ she's giving him an accusatory gaze like she knows where he's sending her and what treatment she'll receive there and she doesn't approve.

He sets her down in front of the door quickly, and Apparates away before something can happen. Minerva shakes her head, sending Bloom one last longing look before Apparating away as well - Dumbledore is a good man, but everything he does is for the greater good.

Which is, unfortunately, entirely unconcerned with the needs or wants of the individual. Something tells her, though, that he'll have quite a few problems with the way he seems set on treating her - that young girl has a sharp mind, even at her current age.

She doesn't doubt she'll have something to say about the Dursleys if McGonagall's impression of them after a day of observing them is accurate.

* * *

**AN: Hey, I know. Third story up at once, ambitious and all. This one's more a collection of important or changed moments from the first two movies. Not so much a story, really, more of a one-shot collection. Because I'll be referencing stuff from her first two years, but only I'll know what it would mean. Oops! If anyone wants to see a specific scene from movies one and two, just leave a review or a message! No particular order for the chapters, though. Anyway, enjoy! I recommend reading these before going too far into 'The Girl Who Survived' because some of the stuff won't make much sense. **

**Alright, just realized I had a slight error in my calculations - sorry, but math really isn't my subject sometimes. July to October is three months, not one - hence, this slight update. To be clear, Bloom was found and adopted at the end of July - the same month Harry would have been born - and the Potters were killed on Halloween. Sorry!**


	2. Finding Bloom

Hagrid gets to the lighthouse the latest letter for young Bloom Potter is addressed to, thinking about how McGonagall nearly had a fit at both the amount of letters that had been written for the girl…and the first address.

The Cupboard Under the Stairs.

The Half-Giant quickly shakes his head, trying not to think about McGonagall's wrath - which can be terrifying - and knocks on the door. Which falls to the ground, he accidentally knocked a little too hard.

He sees a boy with black hair pressed against a wall, and who he presumes to be Petunia and Vernon Dursley.

Young Bloom, though, with her distinctive fiery hair he remembers from when he last saw her, is nowhere to be found.

Vernon's face turns purple, and he yells "I demand you leave at once! Your breaking and entering!"

Immediately deciding _not_ to fix the door, Hagrid walks over and says "Dry up, Dursley, you great prune." To get his point across, he effortlessly bends the barrel of the shotgun so its pointed up.

The resulting shot blows a hole in the ceiling - it also gets a chuckle that Hagrid picks up on. "Bloom?"

It came from…the fireplace.

She's hiding in the _lit_ fireplace?!

Sure enough, a head of fiery hair pokes out of the flames to stare at him warily, blending in rather completely with the flames that are licking out the brick sides.

Vernon's face turns another shade of purple, as she comes out with nothing more than a bit of soot on her for the experience of hiding in a fireplace with a fire going, but Hagrid says "Got something for ya. 'Fraid I might'a sat on it at some point, but it'll taste good nonetheless. Baked it myself, words an' all."

When Bloom opens the box wrapped with some ribbon, her face lights up at the cake he made. "Thank you! It's wonderful." She holds it closer to her body after glancing at Dudley, who's staring at the box greedily.

"By the way, what were you doing in there?"

Bloom shrugs, and says "I don't burn. Figured someone trying to break in wouldn't look in the fire."

"Well, you were right! Wouldn't have even known you were there if you hadn't laughed!

Hagrid also hands her the letter for her, but she grins at him and says "No need. I managed to read one already. Know it by heart by now. Didn't say anything about the first one, but then letters kept coming."

Vernon verbally explodes "_WHAT?!_"

Bloom grins at him half-cheekily, half-furiously, and says "Dear Ms. Potter, we're pleased to inform you that you've been accepted at Hogwarts, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The rest is instructions, stuff I'll need - I memorized those as well, if you're wondering."

Vernon yells "You'll not be going, you little freak! We swore when we took you in we'd put a stop to all this rubbish!"

"And that's why I never told you about that first letter, just slipped it under my door for later. I'm going, and I'm not letting you stop me."

Petunia sneers at Bloom, and says "I knew this day was coming. Your just like my freak of a sister. Just as strange and abnormal, just as unnatural. My parents were so _proud_ when Lily got her letter - oh, we've got a witch in the family! I was the only one to see her for the freak she was. And then she met that James, and got herself _blown up_ \- and then we got landed with _you._"

One thing registers with Bloom more than the rest - the words 'blown up.' "You told me my parents died in a car crash! You've lied to me about everything my whole life!" _The dreams, they're real. If the one about the adults fighting was real...then the rest of them were to. _The thought makes her want to break down in tears, but then her newfound fury quickly burns the grief away for now.

Hagrid immediately notices the fire leap higher at Bloom's anger - he's about to say something when Vernon yells "You put that fire out this instant, you little freak! I won't have you-"

"_Out?!_ You want it _OUT?! WELL HERE!_" The fire blows out of the fireplace in a geyser. Bloom shouts "Now it's out! And so am I!"

Dudley yells "Mummy! I want her cake! Make her give it to me!"

Hagrid gives him a pig's tail for that one.

Bloom glares at him, the fires around them leaping higher, and Hagrid says "Well, now, you're a thumping good Witch already, even without getting trained. Can't wait to see what you'll be doing once you've been trained."

He gets fixed with an intelligent blue gaze, and she says "You haven't seen much yet. Shall we be off? Before you ask if I'd rather stay, my answer is absolutely not."

Hagrid grins, then leans down and says "Don't, uh, don't tell anyone about that tail of Dudley's. I'm technically not supposed to do magic outside of the school."

Bloom winks at him, and says "If you don't tell anyone about this."

The door comes flying into the wall, and the impact is hard enough to turn it to splinters.

"Deal."

Cake box in hand, she apparently calls all the fire in the room to form a barrier between her and her family - she walks out with her head held high, and soon enough she and Hagrid are high in the sky.

And, as Hagrid learns, she _loves_ it! And the cake she eats on the way, she loves that to - declares he _must_ be a master chef to make a cake this good.

* * *

**AN: Alright, this one is fairly obvious - it's the scene when Hagrid went to get Harry and let him finally read the letter. Biggest difference? Bloom had slipped her letter under her cupboard door, hid it, and saved it for later. The rest of the letters were because there was no reply. And, yes, Bloom is fully aware of her control over fire, and already has a vicious temper - especially when dealing with the Dursleys. Enjoy! If anyone wants to see something, I'll write it up!**


	3. Meeting the Malfoys

Bloom's making her way to Ollivander's, seriously disturbed by the way _everyone_ seems to recognize her when she doesn't know any of them. She's incredibly sure she's going to have a panic attack or something if she doesn't get even a little space - she learned the hard way that too much attention is bad, even if its from a bunch of total strangers. She knows she's been hardened by the Dursleys, hardened to the point of being a diamond for how much it'll take to break her at this point, but she's used to being invisible. Keeping her head down, not drawing any attention from her 'family' - not getting greeted and thanked every four steps or so! She's not shy by any definition of the word - she's wary about everyone, guarded about everything, and she needs somewhere quiet to think where she can try to quiet the magic burning in her system - but she's been sticking close to Hagrid's side so she doesn't lose him and can potentially hide her presence. It's worked about half the time - though, she got an incredibly bad feeling from the stuttering 'professor' with the Turban, along with a migraine. It felt like her magic was nearly out of control and she could've been sick or passed out just by being near him.

She looks into the window to this Ollivander's shop, and sees…people are in there. A man taller than Vernon and not as thin as Petunia, with a cane in his hand that has a metal snake head - that looks like it'll hurt if he hits her with it. He's got bleach-blonde hair going down to the middle of his back, hanging free as it apparently only needs to be brushed and not braided or anything like she usually does.

The other adult must be Ollivander, as he hands the other blonde that looks about her age a wand - at least he looks like a patient sort? Maybe he won't be too mad at her if she destroys something accidentally like she's so good at doing.

The blonde boy is the least threat in the shop, as he apparently has no control over his magic - he waves the wand he's holding and something else breaks. She decides to sneak in quietly as blondie gets handed another wand, one that has to be powerful - she can just tell, even from outside the shop. She nearly flinches when the bell she noticed makes a quiet thunking noise, and the boy turns around while Ollivander is getting another wand.

She quickly turns around to close the door quietly, trying to ignore his stare on her - thankfully, Ollivander comes back and takes his interest. He gets a Hawthorn Wand with Unicorn Hair for a core, and the relieved sigh the boy lets out is audible.

His father nods at him, takes the wand and goes to the desk to pay for it…and then, the boy turns back to her and says "Who're you? My name's _Malfoy_. Draco Malfoy." Everything about him screams 'Dudley!' - they look nothing alike, blonde hair, silver-grey eyes, and a normal weight instead of Dudley's overweight due to overeating thanks to Petunia, black hair like a crow's feathers, and cold blue eyes…but his tone of voice says he thinks his name should be in italics. Says he thinks he's _the_ Draco Malfoy, and that everyone else should bow to him and let him walk all over them.

It immediately gets Bloom annoyed, though he's honestly done nothing to deserve her ire - as such, she reigns in her magic and says "Not impressed." The absolutely stunned look on his face is priceless, and eases her irritation more than a little.

His expression turns curious, and he glances at his father for a moment and sees the man is still paying Ollivander before asking "Who're you?"

Deciding to throw him a bone and maybe stave off any other questions, she says "Bloom."

He smirks at her, crosses his arms, and asks "What, no last name? Or are you from a couple of Muggles?"

Bloom feels her blood start to boil - bad sign, it usually precedes her magic burning something - and hotly asks "What difference would that make?"

"Well, Purebloods are the best, obviously. The most powerful, the most worthy of having magic. Half-bloods are alright, but Muggle-borns? Mudbloods, rather? They're nothing. Worse than nothing, really, they don't belong at all."

Any and all chance she could maybe be friends with this git just died at his words. She feels her magic trying to lash out at his words, fighting to break free from the hold she has on it, and angrily says "Oh, I see now. You're the kind of person who likes to pick on those you deem weaker than you, just to make yourself feel better."

Draco's father suddenly turns around and puts a hand on his shoulder, saying "Now, Draco, play nicely."

She takes a few steps back to size him up - tall, very tall, dark robes that probably hide a well-built body, that cane in his hand, and an expression somewhere between amused and interested. Her anger at the younger Malfoy is getting mixed with fear of the older - she doesn't know him, has no idea what he'll do, and all her experiences of 'fathers' have been Vernon beating her.

And her magic can't seem to stay under control, as the wand Draco last tried before the one that worked for him suddenly blows out of the box and into her hand. And a good part of her magic gets funneled straight through it before she can do anything to stop it.

She gets her magic under control, well aware that she's most likely on fire and has scared the Malfoys stiff - fine, better they're afraid of her than willing and wanting to hurt her. Sure enough, when she looks over there are identical looks of shock on their faces.

Ignoring them, she looks at Ollivander and asks "Does this mean it likes me?"

He's gone pale, staring at her in shock, and nervously says "Give-give it a wave and find out. Preferably away from people and merchandise, please."

She looks over, sees a potted plant sitting on a small table, and points her wand at it while imagining her magic encasing it. And picking it up. When she has it start tap dancing, she surprises even herself when she laughs - she'd forgotten just how good it feels to use her magic without being worried about the consequences, without having to look around to see if Vernon was in sight before making even the smallest bit of fire.

This is, without a doubt, the best thing she's ever done for herself.

It gets even better when she's just finished paying for the wand - the two blondes still staring at her in utter shock like she just performed a miracle instead of a bit of magic - and hears a rapping on the glass along with a hoot. She turns around and sees Hagrid standing there with a gorgeous snowy owl in a cage. "Happy Birthday, Bloom!"

She gasps, throws the coins onto the counter, and runs out yelling back "Keep the change! Hagrid, she's beautiful! Thank you!"

* * *

**AN: Yeah, the scene from Ollivanders - this time from Bloom's standpoint. Not nearly as dramatic from her standpoint, I know - she only knows why she's on fire, and why the fire shot from her wand, so it's not like she's in shock like the Malfoys were. Anyway, sorry for the wait - my brother's graduation happened, family came over, etc. Anyway, update's here now! Enjoy!**


	4. Helping Neville

Bloom looks up from the Charms book she's reading from at the sound of someone clearing their throat, and sees Neville standing there nervously. "U-uh, Bloom, I was wondering if you c-could help me…"

Bloom raises an eyebrow silently, closing the book on one of her fingers to mark the page, and asks "Help with what, Neville?"

The poor kid's sweating bullets, despite the fact that he's not that close to the fireplace in the Common Room - she's well aware that she's something of an oddity among the First Years, being as powerful as she is. Getting every spell right on the first try tends to do that, apparently. The fact that she doesn't open up to others well doesn't help though.

Neville quickly looks away from her gaze, and says "W-well, you're so good at magic, and…"

"And you'd like some help?"

Neville nods, and mumbles "Yes please…"

He starts in shock when she says "Sure thing, Neville. Let's get out of the Common Room though, yeah?"

Neville nods, and they head to an abandoned classroom. Bloom sits down on a desk and asks "So, what makes you think you can't do magic, Neville?"

He stutters "W-w-well, I'm terrible at it…all the Slytherins keep saying I'm worthless at it, and all…an' my family wanted to see if I had magic or not over the years, thought I might be a Squib…" At her blank gaze, he adds "Someone in a magical family who can't do magic."

"Ah. Well, Neville, if you got a letter here then you obviously _can_ do magic. As for what the Slytherins are saying…they can bloody well sod off, they don't know what they're talking about."

Neville blinks, and asks "What?"

Bloom rolls her eyes, and asks "Alright, what are they saying?"

"Stuff about Purebloods being better than everyone else, an' how I can't remember anything, how I'm a big screw-up…"

He trails off at the furious look in Bloom's eyes, and stares in shock when she says "Your everything _but_ all that, Neville. What would they know about you? They never stopped to even _talk_ to you, what makes those spoiled rich brats think they're an authority on you? As for being Purebloods…biggest load of bloody crap I've ever heard from a community. Who the bloody hell _cares_ whether someone's parents are Muggles or not? Besides, Wizards had to have come from _somewhere_, right? Because I doubt humanity would have survived if _cavemen_ were shambling around with magic!" At Neville's blank look, she says "The first humans, way back when, were known as Cavemen. Not very bright, nothing in the way of civilization as we know it…and I don't believe for a minute that some had magic while others didn't. So, being 'Pureblooded' just means there's been magic in their families longer. Anyway, off topic. So, for the sake of _their_ bloody flawed argument…what's your 'blood status', Neville?"

He stutters out "Pureblood…"

Bloom crosses her arms, and asks "So, according to their argument…what the bloody hell makes them better than you?"

Neville opens his mouth to reply, but then stops. Closes his mouth. Blinks twice.

Bloom smirks at him, and says "Told you. Neville, there is not a bloody thing about you that means some sneaky Slytherins are better than you. Far as I'm concerned, _your_ better than _them_. You're the one that's brave enough to take it all day after day, you're the one that's trying to get better at spellwork. All they're doing is gossiping about you and bullying you! That's not impressive, that's being a pack of bloody cowards."

Neville blinks and quietly swallows, wondering if she's aware her eyes are turning orange as she speaks. He figures…probably not.

"Anything else?"

"My grandmum says I'm not living up to my parents' legacy, or bringing honor to the family…"

"Forget what she says! _Your eleven_! Nobody in their right minds would expect an eleven-year-old to bring 'honor' to their family! Unless, of course, that eleven-year-old is me and everybody expects me to kill a man someday." She suddenly turns to him and says "Neville, I think I know what your problem with casting spells is. Your insecurity. You believe what these losers are telling you, believe that your not as good as them. And I'm betting your wand knows it. Didn't Ollivander say something about the wand choosing the Wizard?"

"Indeed, Ms. Potter. Might I ask what's going on?" Both Gryffindors turn around to see Professor McGonagall standing there.

Bloom says "Professor! I wasn't aware this classroom was being used…"

McGonagall shakes her head, and says "It's not, Ms. Potter. However, if you two would like to practice…I believe you would need a target of some kind, no?" She then transfigures two desks into a pair of large targets.

Bloom grins, and says "Thank you, Professor McGonagall."

Bloom and Neville spend a few hours casting spells at the targets, and by the time they're done and heading off to dinner…Neville's gotten better at spellcasting in a few hours than the few weeks they've been in classes.

Confidence, as he learns, can make a great deal of difference. Of course, so would having his own wand instead of his father's.

* * *

About three days later, Neville finds himself facing Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle as they're throwing taunts and insults at him again. Bloom catches his eye and raises her chin at him - translation: be confident.

So, he squares his shoulders and asks "Oh, really? And what would you lot know about me? That I'm a Pureblood like the rest of you? Or maybe that I'm excelling in Herbology where you all don't seem to give a bloody care?"

There's a dead silence in the room, right up until Pansy breaks it by saying "This isn't Longbottom. He's too much of a coward to- hey!"

Pansy starts floating upwards, like she's been picked up by something invisible - they look back to see Bloom, wand out and pointed at Pansy. "Excuse me, what was that? Unless we brewed the Polyjuice Potion or something, which we didn't, I'd say Parkinson here needs to shut the bloody hell up about what she doesn't understand and never will. Neville, want to go work on homework?"

Neville grins, and says "With pleasure. Maybe you can show me how you did _that_."

He nods up at Pansy, and she laughs as they're walking away and says "Simple. Levitation Charm. I just haven't taken it off yet."

Pansy yells " Put me _down_, you know-it-all Gryffindor!"

Bloom smirks up at her and says "If you say so…" She flicks her wand at Pansy, who then…stops being suspended by the Charm. And crashes to the ground hard enough to be heard.

The two of them are already being surrounded by the other Lions as they're walking away, so the dumbfounded Snakes can't do a thing but gape at them.

Besides, what are they going to tell someone? They were ganging up on Longbottom again, he stood up for himself, and then Bloom Potter _wordlessly_ levitated Pansy up into the air? And then brought her back down in the same fashion? They're _FIRST YEARS!_ First Years don't know how to do wordless magic!

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! I can't really see Bloom not helping Neville when he's getting picked on and bullied - in OotP, he did fantastic when shown a little encouragement and confidence after all. I know Bloom's not the most social person ever after her treatment by the Dursleys - Dudley and his gang scaring off any friend she might've had and all, the adults relentlessly beating her down at every opportunity, etc. - but if you ask for help she'll give it. Anyway, enjoy! I've got more of these coming soon! Review if you want to see something specific!**


	5. Gringotts

Bloom looks around uneasily at the bank, it's not the fact that it's run by creatures she's never seen before - well, not _just_ that, all this is new to her and she's not letting her guard down for even a moment - it's that she's surrounded by people and she's sure she couldn't well fight them all off and get away…and survive. She doesn't have nearly enough fire for that, she's sure of it.

Her stunt at the Hut on the rock was easy - there was already fire there, she just told it where to go - but generating it herself takes both concentration and energy. And besides, she _lives_ on that fire now - since the Dursleys have the most interesting habit of trying to let her die of starvation or dehydration. She'd experiment with what she can and can't survive if she had the opportunity, actually - find out what she can survive the Dursleys doing to her.

That'll have to wait though, Hagrid's just walked up to a desk at least three times as tall as she is and says "Miss Bloom Potter would like to make a withdrawal."

She sees a pale face with white hair pulled back look over, and then the expression turns from something much like a sneer to one of utter shock a few moments after looking at her. "A-and does Miss Bloom Potter have her key?"

"Ah, hang on. Got the little devil here somewhere…"

Bloom blinks in confusion, and asks "I need a key?"

The Goblin says "Indeed, Miss Potter. Your parents set up a trust vault for you until you reach seventeen, at which point you will be granted access to the full amount of the Potter family funds."

Hagrid pulls a small golden key out, and places it on the desk - and then a letter, saying "Oh, and this is from Dumbledore. It's about you-know-what, in Vault you-know-which."

The Goblin takes it, saying "I see."

* * *

Bloom takes a few handfuls of gold from the pile of money, asking about the different coins so she'll have a basic understanding - she's good at math, good at most anything she puts her mind to actually, but she needs to actually be told what she needs to know as she can't pick it up via absorbing it by exposure to people who know it.

At least…not that she knows of.

She hesitantly asks if she can see the Potter vault - look only, not take anything out if she isn't allowed - and the Goblin agrees. He actually seems surprised by how polite she was when she asked.

The sight that greets her stuns her speechless - the pile of money in the vault is bigger than the Dursleys' house! She's rich! Her parents were rich! Not drunks and good-for-nothings like her aunt said time and again! There's also several objects in the room, a neatly-organized pile of jewelry, several trunks, and several other things in the room - in all honesty, it's too much to take in at the moment.

What Hagrid gets from the mystery vault is a small, wrapped package - he says it's 'Hogwarts Business' and leaves it at that. Bloom frowns at that, just knowing there's more to the story than that, but doesn't say a word. She may be eleven physically…but mentally she's already all grown up despite the fact that her brain hasn't technically matured yet. One of the consequences of being left with abusive relatives that don't give a bloody damn whether you live or die.

* * *

When they're leaving, Bloom makes sure to politely thank the Goblin for his wonderful help, and ask if there's a way she can come back at some point and get more information about her parents' vault and what all is in it and belongs to her.

Because, just from her five-minute look around, she's got a lot more than the Dursleys will make in all three of their combined lives - assuming Dudley ever shapes up about his grades and gets a decent-paying job, that is. The way he's going now, though, he'll be some good-for-nothing drunk like his parents say hers were.

She's already trying to make a plan, that that has her buy something she can stay in - a house, a hut, a condo, _a bloody tent_, something, anything - and then get a job somewhere so she can pay for food without dipping into her parents' money. She'd faint from shock if she could get out of Four Privet Drive, but she figures it'd be helpful to have a plan to do so.

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! next chapter is here! I know I'm posting more on this one than the main story, but there's a reason for that, I swear! I really will be referencing stuff from this one, as it deals with the first two years of Bloom's Hogwarts 'career' - I figured it'd be _really_ good if more people than just me knew what the characters were talking about! I've got all the chapters I'm going to write done unless someone requests something - don't worry, I need to post them. Things have been hectic around here, relax. Anyway, enjoy! **

**PS. Reposting 'Psychic Watcher' on AO3, and going to put some other works on there after that's done, as it seems to have a better fanbase for game-stories. **


	6. The Sorting

Bloom walks into the Great Hall with the rest of the First Years, feeling her fingers twitch for her wand - she's hardly let the object go since buying it, and now she wishes it could be in her hand instead of hidden up her sleeve. McGonagall's comment of 'your House will be like your family' has her on edge - her only experience of 'family' is the Dursleys, and it isn't filling her with confidence_. _

_At least these are total strangers, even if they all know of me because I'm the bleeding 'Girl Who Lived' because I killed a guy before he could kill me. _

The boy from the compartment, Ron Weasley, is standing next to her and is still munching away on some of the chocolate from the train - at least she knows one person here and is on good terms with them. Oh, and that Malfoy boy, Draco - she can see his head of blonde hair in the crowd of kids, though she's not sure what kind of terms they're on since they nearly got into a fight back in Ollivanders.

He gets sorted into Slytherin, which he looks immensely smug about - what a surprise, not.

Ron and Hermione, a girl they met on the train, get sorted into Gryffindor, as well as a boy named Neville Longbottom.

Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot get put in Hufflepuff, and they immediately sit down next to each other and start talking.

And then its Bloom's turn. The Hall goes silent as the grave when McGonagall calls out "Bloom Potter." Bloom walks up to the chair, pretending not to notice the stares she's getting all the way there, and sits down under the hat.

_"Oh, well, this is certainly an interesting case. Bravery in spades, intelligence beyond what most can imagine, a certain scathing sarcastic wit, loyalty to any who befriend you…but where to put you? And a power the likes of which I've never seen in Hogwarts before, along with an immense talent for magic beyond any First Year I've seen before…" _

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Bloom's _still_ sitting under that hat. She's got a relatively bored expression on her face, propping her head up with a hand under her chin, and glances up at Professor McGonagall for some kind of sign as to what she's supposed to do - apparently, she's a Hatstall. And a bloody long one, at that.

The room's filled with whispers aplenty, and McGonagall asks "Sorting Hat, have you come to a decision yet?"

It looks irritably at her, and says "Patience, Minerva! I'm trying to decide which of the Houses young Bloom Potter _wouldn't_ be suited for! She's got the best qualities of _all_ the Houses!" Those whispers turn to a full-scale roar.

Bloom groans inwardly and thinks _Just get on with it… _

_"Get on with it? Only someone very foolish or very brave would say something like that to the being that's deciding where you'll be living for the next seven years. And, seeing as your no fool…_ "GRYFFINDOR!"

There's a dead silence in the room, as Bloom gets up and takes the Hat off - the Gryffindor table breaks into thundering applause after a moment when she sits down next to Ron.

* * *

Draco can't believe it, the girl he's been thinking about since Ollivanders is _Bloom Potter_. Un-bloody-believable.

His stomach dropped into his toes with McGonagall called out the name, and it went right back down there when the Hat suddenly called out the house that's his House's _rival_ for no apparent reason.

She looks the same as that day in Ollivanders, fiery hair braided down her back in an attempt at being tamed, pale skin without even a freckle on her, and a confidence in her walk that says she's not afraid of anything or anyone.

He's seriously wondering just what happened to make the Hat come to a decision about her - did she choose a House? Or did she make some comment that made the Hat pick a House? Either way, it's a moot point because she's in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin.

After a few minutes when they can _finally_ start eating, Draco glances over at the fire-haired Witch with the deadly wand and sees…bloody hell, can she really eat all that?! Her plate's as full as one can make it, and she's steadily clearing it away - how can one person eat all that? Draco feels amazement run through him when she…starts _refilling_ her plate - either she's got a bottomless pit for a stomach, or she's under some kind of hex where she can't get full whatsoever.

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone - the Sorting Ceremony is here! I couldn't just make Bloom an easy choice, sorry about that - she's smart as a whip, which would make her fit in well in Ravenclaw; she'll attack someone who hurts her friends like a dragon, and Hufflepuffs are loyal to a fault; she's stubborn as a rock, which I guess is a Gryffindor trait as it apparently goes hand-in-hand with courage - or she's just too stubborn to back down or run away, which would work to - and her sarcastic wit and biting comments would be a good fit - I think - for Slytherin. Plus, the whole 'think-on-your-feet' thing and resourcefulness - yeah, that's Bloom alright. Anyway, enjoy! More chapters will be posted soon! **


	7. Diagon Alley

Draco and his father are in Borgin and Burkes, with Lucius selling some of the Darker Artifacts from his collection - suddenly, the fireplace shoots something like a geyser of green and orange fire, and a person half crashes, half tumbles out onto the floor.

Fiery hair and muggle clothes catch his eyes, and then Bloom Potter coughs and says "Never doing that again, that's for bloody sure." She coughs again, hitting a fist against her chest and wiping at her clothes with her other hand - she's a sooty mess, what the bloody hell happened? He recognizes a usage of the Floo Network easily enough - though, he's literally _never_ seen an exit that bad before - but he's never heard of an exit that dramatic either. She coughs a few more times, then takes out her wand for a moment to examine it - it's entirely undamaged, which seems to satisfy her. She points it at the floor and mumbles something - the soot disappears, both from the floor and herself. And, in all honesty, she was sitting in the middle of a large streak of soot left over from the fireplace's violent display.

"Bloom Potter?!" Draco realizes _he's_ the one that identified her when his father's gaze lands on him incredulously, and Mr. Borgin gapes at a total loss of words. And that clear blue gaze lands on him, surprised recognition in its depths.

"Draco Malfoy?" Before he can respond, she apparently gets annoyed and says "Don't tell me, I'm nowhere _near_ Diagon Alley, right? I somehow ended up on the other side of the continent, is that it? Oh, my head, not now…"

Draco latches onto the words 'Diagon Alley' as nothing else about this makes any sense - who'd have thought he'd run into Bloom Potter in a place like this? Or that she'd be getting one of her migraines from DADA class when it happens? The night from the forest flashes through his head, and he quickly says "Exit the shop and turn right."

Her irritation turns back into surprise, and she says "Oh. Thanks. Where are we then?"

Borgin snaps out of his shock, and says "Borgin and Burke's, Ms. Potter. See anything you're interested in?"

Bloom grimaces, and says "Apologies, but no. I'm getting a migraine, so I'll just try to get my stuff." She hurries out, but Draco notices she glances at him and his father out of the corner of her eye as she does so.

Maybe a minute later, they hear Bloom yell "LEAVE ME ALONE!" At least three Wizards crash through the window, wearing all black and looking particularly untrustworthy. And there's _smoke_ coming off their robes - what the bloody hell?! The window repairs itself with a Charm from Bloom, along with a yelled apology to Borgin and a few other shopkeepers, and Draco's left in stunned silence staring out at the scorched alleyway.

* * *

Bloom manages to get through the crowd and back to the Weasleys - Gilderoy Lockhart nearly ended his career and his life when he unceremoniously pulled her up to get a picture, she very nearly burst into flames for the second time today. She's incredibly grateful for Molly Weasley insisting she eat her fill - Ron, Fred, and George pushed their plates over by her when hers was getting low, which she's also grateful for. It's also the reason she's awake right now.

She sees a familiar head of white hair make its way through the crowd, and Draco Malfoy is suddenly standing there. "Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?"

Despite his teasing tone, she snaps "Right, I just _love_ getting my face splashed on the front page! Really, your spot on there, Malfoy!"

That migraine from before's coming back full force, it's every bit as bad as back in Borgin and Burkes - no, it's _worse._ She stumbles into a person, she's not sure who, just as she sees a familiar cane enter her vision and a smooth voice say "Now, Draco, do tell me your behaving."

Bloom's head starts pounding in time with her heartbeat, so she can only make out snippets of the conversation - she can feel the tension in the general area ratchet up a few notches though. But then, Draco's voice somehow manages to make its way into her brain when he asks "What's wrong with Potter? She looks like she's back in DADA class."

"Bloom, look at me."

She's not sure whether it's Ron, Hermione, or someone else that says it, but she just mumbles "Need some air…"

When her head clears enough that she can think, she's sitting outside Flourish and Blotts, Ron and Hermione standing there with Fred and George asking for an explanation. Bloom picks her head up from its position with her forehead on her knees, and says "There's something in Flourish and Blott's. Did Ron tell you why Quirrell had the Turban on all the time last year?"

Fred and George nod, and Fred says "To think, that time with the snowballs…"

Bloom snickers, and says "I fully applaud that time, guys. As for right now…I'd get migraines in DADA class if I sat too close to Quirrell - I ended up sitting in the back of the classroom, just so I could focus and make it through the entire class."

Ron asks "And there's something in there as bad as You-know-who - don't give me that look, 'Mione. Most people don't just go around saying his name, and if we want to have even a semi-private conversation at the moment then we don't want people staring at us for all of it." Hermione nods her head, conceding the point.

Fred says "Bloody hell, we've got to-"

Ron says "We can't. We don't know what it is, and its bad enough that just being around it nearly makes Bloom lose it altogether. What're we supposed to do about something like that?"

George sighs, and says "Good point. 'Sides, we've got to get to the train station soon enough anyway." George kneels down and looks at Bloom, then inhales sharply and gestures for Fred to take a look. After a minute,

Fred says "Bloom, is it just me,"

George picks up "Or are your eyes turning orange?"

Bloom gestures for them to keep it down, then quietly says "Turning back to blue, actually. One of the joys of being me. Whenever I get exposed to the Dark Arts, or a being that was so consumed by them that they may as well have _soaked_ in them - I get a smashing migraine and my eyes turn orange as I nearly lose control over my magic and burn wherever I am to the ground. On top of them turning orange whenever I use my magic more than a little. And my…family."

Fred winces, and says "Yeah, they can't really-"

"Be all that wonderful, Bloom."

She grins at the twins, and says "Enough about them. You two have to show me your latest inventions on the train. I'll buy candy for everyone."

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! Alright, next chapter is here! I can't really see Bloom not being affected by something as dark as a Horcrux, and...still be able to destroy them. I've got a plan, but the only way I can think it'll work at this point - as Bloom's magic is long past starting to wake up and is fully active now - is to all but incapacitate her at the moment from the migraine being in the presence of that much dark arts magic tends to lead to. Or that Gilderoy would make a good first impression on her with his stunt of 'let's get the famous kid up here for a picture with me to make me more famous!' Anyway, enjoy! More chapters coming out soon! **


	8. Lockhart's Class

Bloom stares up at Lockhart as he introduces himself - as if they didn't know who he was, he clearly expected everyone to have read his books already - and mutters to Ron "Wonderful. And here I was hoping we'd have a teacher who _wouldn't_ give me headaches this year."

She can practically see Draco's ears prick up, but she ignores it in favor of Ron quietly asking her "Thought last year's teacher gave you headaches because of, well, you remember."

"No, he did. But those were magic-induced migraines. I get the feeling this idiot's going to give me regular headaches of the irritation-induced variety."

Lockhart says "And five-times winner of Witch Weekly's Best Smile award. But, I don't talk about that. I didn't chase off the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her, after all."

He proceeds to do _exactly _that, giving them all a toothy smile that makes every girl not named Bloom Potter all but swoon in her desk - Bloom just rolls her eyes, and mutters "You must be joking…"

Draco catches her eye and rolls his eyes - she grimaces back at him, even as Lockhart says he's giving them a quiz. To be specific, a 'little' quiz - nothing to worry about, just to see how well they've read the books.

Read his books about adventures he's gone on - Bloom's quickly seeing a pattern here.

Bloom and Ron trade aghast looks about the questions on the quiz - which, while titled 'Defence Against the Dark Arts Second Year Essential Knowledge Test,' it's…all about him and his books. Bloom gets a smirk on her face, and murmurs "Well, seeing as I didn't read any of his books…"

* * *

Everybody's staring at Lockhart's expression in amusement - he, on the other hand, doesn't look at all amused. "Who cares what your favorite color is? Your ideal birthday present is everybody worshipping the ground you walk on? This quiz is by no definition 'little' and when can we get to the spellcasting?"

Draco fights to hold in a sputtered laugh - whoever wrote that must've been in Slytherin.

"Ms. Potter! Do explain yourself!"

Draco practically hears every jaw hit the floor, and all the other girls are giving her scandalized looks while every boy in the room is looking impressed.

Bloom looks at him levelly, and says "Professor, I was under the impression that we were going to be learning how to defend ourselves. If that's not the case, I may be in the wrong classroom."

He then unleashes Cornish Pixies on them all, after giving a dramatic speech about how no harm can befall them while he's around. The Pixies immediately start proving him dead wrong about that speech, as they make havoc in the room - it's when two pick Neville up by the ears that Bloom apparently decides she's had enough of this. Even as Lockhart runs towards his office - he's a useless idiot, they can all see it.

Bloom puts two fingers to her lips and lets out an ear-piercing whistle that gets everyone's complete attention. And then, to every human's shock, the Pixies fly back into their cage and pull the door shut - they even start fighting one another to get to the back of the cage, away from the fire-haired witch.

Seamus Finnegan says "Bloody hell…"

Neville grins, and says "Bloom, you've got to teach us that glare of yours."

Bloom just shrugs, then says "No harm shall befall us, hm? Lockhart's a moron. Let's go eat, guys."

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! Lockhart's class in the extended edition of CoS! Yeah, they didn't put the 'little' quiz in the regular edition - oh, and have I said Lockhart's an idiot? Because I genuinely feel that way in real life. Total moron. How he got into Ravenclaw is beyond me - his bio says he actually had some decent talent and could've gone far if he applied himself...he obviously didn't. He focused on memory charms for years to the point of not knowing most any others - or what he was even doing. He grabbed Ron's broken wand, for mercy's sake, and tried to use it even though it had backfired several times throughout the movie - and was mentioned by Snape in the scene with the duel that his wand would likely put half the room in the hospital wing in a matchbox. Between that and the way he didn't seem to recognize anything like disgust, sarcasm, etc. it truly amazes me just how much of an idiot that guy could be and still have all his accomplishments - Order of Merlin, etc. **

**...**

**Anyway...enjoy! Seriously, though, I haven't gotten any requests for specific scenes - your seriously leaving it up to me? I'm flattered, truly. **


	9. Quidditch Games

***Year One***

Bloom's looking around for the Golden Snitch, hoping to spot it before the Slytherin Seeker does - there! She sees it, and immediately takes off after the small golden flash of color.

She gets within a few feet of it, when suddenly her broom starts bucking under her. "Woah! What's going on?!"

She nearly gets thrown off, ending up hanging on by her hands while the rest of her is under the broom.

She sees a Bludger coming for her, and does the first thing that comes to mind - she throws her head back and shouts at the top of her lungs "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" She shoots up like a rocket, earning gasps from everyone in the crowds.

She looks down at her broom, which is about a dozen feet below her, and then sees _another_ Bludger heading for her - she angrily drops the Levitation Charm, and catches herself on her broom again. She blocks out the sounds of the crowds, blocks out the shouts around her, and focuses on disrupting the feeling of magic interfering with herself and her broom. It snaps off with an almost physical rebound, and then she's off at once after the Snitch again.

Draco all but chokes Pansy Parkinson when he snatches the Omnioculars from around her neck - he _really_ wishes he'd remembered to pack his - and points them at Bloom Potter's figure when her broom suddenly stops moving.

The play-by-play nearly makes his stomach drop into his toes yet again - she shoots up into the air, then drops back down onto her broom. Oh, and he sees _something_ shoot back from her and her broom towards the teachers - Snape, Quirrell, and several other teachers get knocked down onto their backs as she heads off to catch the Snitch.

As he watches, she flies around the Pitch after the Snitch, has a rough clash with the Slytherin Seeker - damn, she doesn't have any qualms about playing rough! - and then levels out from a steep dive just a few feet above the pitch itself. And then she dives off the broom, rolling to a stop on the grass.

Her arm shoots up a moment later, and the announcer yells "BLOOM POTTER'S CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

* * *

***Year Two***

Draco smirks over at Bloom, who's looking around for the Snitch - she suddenly looks backwards, then takes off to keep from getting smashed by a Bludger. She ditches it momentarily by making a ninety-degree turn straight upwards and having it smash into one of the stands, but then zeros in on something behind him and zooms after it - bludger in tow, unfortunately. It's the Snitch!

The two of them end up under the bleachers, with the Bludger following them and smashing beams. Bloom suddenly groans, and mutters "Not now, Collin…"

"Who's Collin?"

"HIM!"

They hastily swerve around a kid with a camera, blinking the spots out of their eyes from the flash it made, and then Bloom shouts "Duck!"

He does, just as the Bludger goes on a wild collision course with beams all around them - she may not like him, but he's realizing she doesn't want him dead either. "How do you know to do this stuff?!"

Bloom glances at him for a moment, then her eyes widen in panic and she does a sideways roll to avoid the Bludger heading straight for her. "Go up!"

He's about to ask what that means when the bottom of his broom catches a beam under him - he goes flying off his broom, landing in a sore heap and feeling like he could vomit. He lifts his head just in time to see that same damned Bludger smash into Bloom's arm, and then she makes a split-second decision and lunges off her broomstick while holding both arms to her body.

"Bloom Potter's caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins!"

And then the Bludger comes back again, and she rolls over in the sand she landed in to avoid it. Granger comes running up, wand out, and yells "Finite Incantatum!" The Bludger explodes, and then other people start crowding around her.

He sees Lockhart whip his wand out, but then the man takes a few steps back - giving Draco a clear view of the death-glare Bloom's giving the incompetent Professor, even while she's cradling that arm that got smashed by the Bludger to her chest.

She looks at it, then does something that makes his stomach turn - she yanks it forward, which _must've_ hurt judging from Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger's horrified looks. Bloom, on the other hand, gets to her feet, looking at her arm with a mixture of anger and determination, before walking towards the Gryffindor tower.

* * *

Draco's in the Hospital Wing with Crabbe, Goyle, and a few other Slytherins on the Team when Bloom Potter gets dragged in by Oliver Wood, the Weasley Twins, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley. "Look, I keep telling you all - _I'm fine._"

Hermione rolls her eyes, and says "I happened to get a perfect view of that Bludger smashing into your arm. Madam Pomfrey, can you take a look at Bloom's arm?"

The woman bustles over, and Bloom grudgingly holds out her arm with a grumpy look on her face.

Draco s himself up on his elbow, despite the nausea telling him it's a bad idea, and says "Ah, that death-glare you gave Lockhart is catching, huh?"

Bloom rolls her eyes, then says "The moron would've vanished the bones in my arm, Malfoy. Not letting him do any magic on me if my life depended on it. Lay back down before you throw up already."

He's suddenly forced to do so, though he's not sure who's hand it was that suddenly - strongly - pushed him back down onto his back. He cranes his head up though, and sees Madam Pomfrey frowning at Bloom's arm.

"Your arm is fine-"

"Great! _Now_ can I go eat something?"

"As I was saying, your arm is fine - healed like it was never broken to begin with. However, I know the signs of a freshly-healed bone when I see one. How on Earth did you heal your own bone?"

Bloom says "I'm just good at magic, Madam Pomfrey. And I'd like to go eat something now."

After about five minutes of stubbornly insisting, Bloom gets cleared to go eat - much to everyone else's shock. Hermione actually shrieks "Don't _use_ the arm that got injured, Bloom! Do you _want_ to get nerve damage or something?!"

"'Mione, I'm fine! I've faced down worse than a sore arm before, remember? Or did you forget Fluffy?"

Draco snickers, wondering how dangerous something named 'Fluffy' of all things can actually be. Of course, then he remembers that night in the Dark Forest and the snickering dies on his lips.

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! The two scenes of the Quidditch Games together, plus an edited version of the scene where Harry had to drink the Skele-Grow. Turns out, Draco actually was there - you see him for a split second as the scene pans over to Harry, he's in a bed with mentioned Slytherins. Before anyone asks, yes, I'm going to post a chapter on what happened in the Dark Forest - there's no way I'd miss out on a chance like that. Anyway, enjoy! More chapters are coming out soon! Review if you've got suggestions! **


	10. Mirror of Erised

Bloom gets into an abandoned classroom, only to find…a large mirror standing there, completely abandoned. She slips the Cloak off, and goes over to see if she's as pale as a ghost yet or only nearly. What she sees in the Mirror guarantees she's pal_er_ than any ghost - herself…and a man and a woman on either side of her. Ones she's seen in her dreams before.

She feels her heart speed up in her chest almost to the point of beating straight out, and whirls around to see…nobody. She's completely alone in the room. But not in the mirror. The woman puts a hand on her shoulder, and Bloom finally asks "Mum? Dad?"

The woman nods, squeezing Bloom's shoulder tighter in the reflection. Bloom feels something break inside of her, and tears start running down her face - unbidden and unwanted as they are, she can't seem to stop crying. Especially since her reflection gets folded into a hug, with the woman rubbing circles into her back and whispering comforting things while the man runs his fingers through her wild hair.

_Why? Why does she get that and not me?_ The thought makes Bloom cry all the harder - and, like always, there's nobody to comfort her or wipe her tears away in real life. She's as alone as she always is - and, to be entirely honest…she hates it. She hates being alone, facing her problems and troubles alone. But what choice does she have?

She barely realizes she's on the floor in near-hysterical sobs, it's only when she finally runs out of tears that she realizes she's curled up on her side with a dripping face.

* * *

Draco sighs in utter boredom - his parents had a business trip, so he had to stay at Hogwarts for Winter Break. He glances over at the Gryffindor table, and sees…Bloom Potter sitting a ways away from everyone, staring into a fireplace while sitting on a table with her feet on the seat. The Weasley boy that's their age walks over, talks to her for a minute…and then goes back to his table, looking disappointed for some reason.

Deciding he's got nothing better to do, he saunters over to her and asks "Finally getting tired of the Weasleys, Potter?"

It doesn't get even a twitch out of her, which is honestly worrying - she's always ready with a glare or some sarcastic remark. She just hollowly says "No."

Draco frowns, and asks "So, what are you doing?"

She takes so long answering he's just about to decide he's not getting an answer when she asks "What would you do if you were jealous of your reflection?"

"…What?" He does a double-take, trying to figure out if she just told him she's jealous of her reflection or not. She just keeps staring at the fire, waiting or ignoring him as he decides how to approach the question. "Stop looking in mirrors? Or realize your reflection is just you?"

Bloom shakes her head, wiping at her face for a moment - is she bloody well crying?! - and says "Not this one. It's in a magical mirror. And in it, you see your deepest desire. Me…I see the one thing I've always wanted for my whole life. Wanted…and never got. Never will get, most likely. 'Cept for in my dreams." _And those always end._

Draco sits down, halfway curious about where this mirror is and halfway scared of where this conversation is rapidly heading, and asks "And…what's that?"

Bloom shakes her head again, and says "You wouldn't understand. Nobody would. Because most everybody has it and takes it for granted every day." She glances at him with shining blue eyes - like she's on the verge of tears, despite her face not showing any signs of it - and says "You do to."

Draco blinks, and tries to think of something the famous Bloom Potter wouldn't have - she's the savior of the Wizarding World, what the bloody hell wouldn't she have handed to her on a silver platter?

He apparently takes too long, because she lets out a mirthless laugh and says "See? You don't understand."

"Maybe I would if you would tell me what you see in this magic mirror."

Bloom closes her eyes for a moment, even as the fire leaps in the fireplace in front of them only to die down to embers, and she chokes out "No, I can't." She gets up and leaves at that, nearly running out of the room.

Draco turns around to see an angry Ron Weasley glaring at him, with his twin brothers glaring at him as well. "Exactly what just happened, Malfoy?"

Draco crosses his arms, and says "Ask her that! She wasn't making much sense anyway! Something about being jealous of her reflection in a magic mirror, how nobody would understand it, and how she couldn't say what it is she sees in that reflection. So, maybe you can fill me in?"

Ron groans, loses the angry expression, and says "It's this bloody magic mirror she found. I looked in it once, saw myself as the popular boy of the school."

Draco snorts, and says "Yeah, right. In your wildest dreams, Weasley."

Ron shrugs, and says "That's what it showed me. Bloom, though, she just got real still and quiet. And she's been down ever since she found that bloody thing."

"She hasn't told you what she sees in it?"

Ron shakes his head, and says "Nope. The expression on her face though…it said enough for me to know not to ask."

Taking a chance, Draco says "She also said something about her dreams. How she only gets what she sees in the mystery Mirror in her dreams."

Weasley sighs, and says "Hermione told 'bout that. I won't say what she said, it's private. It happens a lot, though - especially on Halloween, she said."

"That's not an answer, you prat!"

Ron shrugs, and says "It's not my answer to give. Private stuff. You want that answer, talk to Bloom. Chances are it'll just turn out the same as a minute ago, though. She's real close-lipped about her life."

That only makes Draco more determined - he's a Slytherin, he can get info out of someone! Especially an _eleven-year-old!_

* * *

A week later, Draco's staring up at his dorm-room ceiling in utter frustration - Bloom's stonewalling him. Shutting down any and all conversations about what she sees in the mystery mirror or what she meant - even the dreams she mentioned are off-limits, apparently.

He's completely stumped - he's even asked his Godfather for advice, but Bloom seems to be _immune_ to any and all of it. Not oblivious, he's seen the resentful and angry look she gets every time he tries to get her to spill her secrets, just simply _immune_ to any and all of his attempts to get her to make a mistake and spill _something_ he can use to leverage more out of her. It just doesn't happen - he's at his wit's end for now, and he can't really go to his Godfather as he doesn't exactly know it's _Bloom Potter_ he's trying to find out more about. He doesn't like her much, after all.

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! This one is what Bloom sees in the Mirror of Erised - I sorta changed it just a bit from what Harry sees, though. In the movie, he just sees his parents - I have it where Bloom sees them...and then they show they actually care about her. Show they love her - she wants to be loved by someone. Wants someone to care about her. And, honestly, that doesn't sound like too much to ask for, right? I don't think so, at any rate. I do think it's kinda heartbreaking, though, if I'm being perfectly honest. I've got no idea if Draco stayed behind in the first movie - the scene with Ron talking to Harry was deleted, though it's floating around YouTube, but it only shows the Weasleys stayed back at Hogwarts with Harry. Anyway, enjoy! I've got seven more chapters written - unless someone asks for something, that's it. Please review!**

**PS. Bloom sometimes gets dreams of before Voldemort came and killed Lily and James. Those are the dreams - and they started after her magic awoke. **


	11. The Duel

Draco snickers in utter amusement when Professor Snape sends Lockhart across the long table - Lockhart couldn't spell himself out of a cardboard box, an _open_ cardboard box, and everyone with half a brain knows it. He glances around the room as Lockhart tries to salvage his reputation with the students still believing him, and spies Bloom Potter and Ron Weasley talking quietly with Granger apparently joining in - Bloom rolls her eyes, so they're likely talking about how utterly useless Lockhart truly is.

Good thing he can lip-read.

Hermione asks "You think he's alright?"

Ron responds "Who cares?"

Bloom rolls her eyes again, and says "Snape can cast spells, and he knows what he's doing. He may injure Lockhart, I know I've wanted to throttle the man several times a class, but he won't kill him."

Draco snickers, remembering one class Lockhart tried to pull Bloom into a reenactment of something from his books - she declined, and gave him a glare so bad it should be lethal. Snape pulls him from his thoughts and lipreading when he says "Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students how to block unfriendly spells."

There's a flash of dark amusement across Bloom's face, even from his vantage point - and then Lockhart finds a loophole and gets a pair of students up on stage. Which, unfortunately, nearly ends up being him and Weasley. Thankfully, Snape points out the little detail that the Gryffindor's wand is more likely to put them all in a matchbox than work right.

Suddenly, a voice says "Well, I'll demonstrate then."

Everyone looks at Bloom Potter in shock, and Lockhart says "Ms. Potter, your arm-"

"Is perfectly fine. Watch." She twists and turns her arm - wasn't that injured last Quidditch game just a day or so ago?! - in different ways, flexes her hand…and then uses it to pull herself up onto the table.

Snape stares at the display for a minute, then says "I'd say she's capable of waving a wand around, Lockhart."

Draco gulps, he's facing off against a girl who took down a _bloody mountain troll_ on her own. And, if the rumors about that encounter are true…she took control of the club and beat the thing unconscious. She's going to _flatten_ him!

To cover up his nervousness, when he's facing Bloom he asks "Scared, Potter?"

She rolls her eyes at him, and says "Yes, Malfoy, I'm utterly _terrified. _I faced a full-grown Mountain Troll last year and knocked it unconscious, but I've no chance whatsoever against a twelve-year-old armed with only a stick he's still learning to use."

There's a quiet round of laughter and snickering from the other kids, and Snape says "Walk away from each other. Ends of the table, now."

As soon as Lockhart says 'Three!' Bloom yells "INCENDIO!" It's not a fireball that comes out of her wand - it's much closer to say something like a meteor comes exploding out of the tip of her wand. At full speed.

A moment after getting hit in the stomach with a heat source strong enough to nearly cook him through, Draco hits the wall hard. His head hurts already, but gets back up after a minute and gets back onto the table. "Everte Statum!"

She twists her body so the spell goes right by her, and yells "Bombarda!"

Another scrambling for Draco to get back up - he's never doing this again, she's impossible to duel and won't hold back - and he yells "Serpentsortia!"

Bloom raises an eyebrow for a minute, then…points her wand at the snake and yells "Depulso!"

The next thing Draco knows, there's a weight on his shoulders. He freezes solid when that weight _moves._ Snape quietly says "Draco, hold still."

Bloom yells "Expelliarmus!" Draco's wand goes flying out of his hand, and then Snape makes the snake vanish.

Bloom looks around, her arms crossed, and asks "Anyone else?"

Everyone backs away from the table at that, Gryffidors and Slytherins alike. Bloom just shrugs, hands Draco's wand to Lockhart - who's staring at her in utter shock himself - and then gets off the table. Only Ron, Hermione, and the Weasley twins seem brave enough to be near her, as the twins start congratulating her and Ron says she was bloody brilliant.

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! I know I said I'd only do seven more, including this one, but I've got a quick idea. Anybody want to see a remake of the first Potions class in movie one? knowing Bloom, she kept her textbooks for reading on the train...which might end up being another chapter, now that I think about it. So, want to see two more? Either way, enjoy! Please review! **


	12. Fighting Quirrell

Bloom walks into the bottom of the dungeons, only to see Professor Quirrell standing in front of a familiar mirror. "So, I was right. Honestly, the incident with the troll clued me in - Ron said you suddenly ran in, told everyone it had gotten in, and fainted."

Quirrell turns around and sneers at her. "Yes, well done, Potter. Your too smart for your own good."

"And I'm guessing there's a reason why I get migraines in your presence, and feel sick whenever your back is to me? Something to do with your turban?"

He sneers at her even more, quite the feat, and says "I knew you were trouble right from the start, _especially_ after Halloween. Your display with the troll? No ordinary First Year could possibly even hope to do that."

Bloom crosses her arms, and says "I can do more. Better. Nobody here knows most of what I can do." The way she says it, so simply and levelly, makes him think she's not boasting but just saying a statement of fact.

It scares him to the bone, and makes his master writhe inside him. With anger, as well as some pain - but why the second? He turns back to the Mirror, and says "I see myself in this thing, I see the Stone in my hand - but how do I get it?"

Bloom's voice says "Not sure. I see something I've been sorely lacking ever since I got dumped at four Privet Drive. Not sure about the stone, but I know I'll probably never get my reflection."

_Use the girl._

Quirrell yells "Come here, Potter!"

Bloom smirks at him, tapping her wand against her arm, and says "See, I'm actually good way back here. My migraine is manageable back here." He glares at her and points his wand squarely at her.

She shrugs, and says "Alright, but unless you want this whole school up in flames you'll take a few steps back."

Instead of the usual reflection, which she honestly thought she'd see again and she _can't_ break down now, she sees…herself. Just herself. Her reflection takes out a red stone about the size of her hand, and puts it back in her pocket - which suddenly has the _real_ stone in it.

Quirrell asks "Well? What do you see?"

Bloom glares at him, and says "The same thing I _always_ see. Myself and my parents. Getting love and care, for _once_ in my life! People giving a bloody damn about me! About whether I'm alive or dead, about whether I've had anything to eat, about whether my clothes fit right or not! People caring about my wellbeing!"

_The girl lies…_

Bloom's face turns a bright red, and she yells "Shut it, you bodiless psycho! What would you know about anything to do with me? All you know of me is that I damn well killed you when I was a toddler! If you're going to call me a bloody liar, then I'm through with this bleeding interrogation!" She storms over to the stairs, fully intent on trapping Quirrell and Voldemort down here and giving the Stone to McGonagall.

_STOP!_

The fire that springs up in front of the stairs is absolutely no deterrent, despite what Quirrell and Voldemort likely think. Even so, she turns around. Voldemort tries to convince her to join him, give him the Stone and help restore him to life. Saying there's no good or bad, only power and those with the means and drive to use it. Saying they can bring her parents back to life - and all he needs is the Stone.

Bloom looks at Voldemort, sticking out the back of Quirrell's head, and digs the Stone out of her pocket. "This? This Stone here? Well, seeing as you came to my parents' house, killed them, and landed me in _bleeding hell_, I think I'll return the sentiment." The Stone in her hand explodes, she's gotten quite good at that stuff.

_NO!_

She hardly recognizes the detail that she can't feel Voldemort's influence anymore, likely because she's got fire running through her veins - she dreams of that night, dreams of how she killed him. The fireplace was lit when he killed her parents, her parents that died refusing to give her up. All the Dark Arts in the room made her own magic react, and what should be a record for underage magic happened - the fireplace gave birth to a geyser, one that hit Voldemort dead-on.

Remembering that night, she calls every ounce of fire to her person and then sends all of it, her own inner fire as well as what Quirrell so stupidly conjured in an attempt to block her way, right to Voldemort and the body he's possessing. The last thing she remembers is saying "That's for my parents, you psychotic monster."

* * *

When Professors Snape, McGonagall, and Flitwick, along with Hagrid, get into the room where the Sorcerer's Stone is being kept, they find…Bloom Potter lying on the ground at what appears to be ground zero for a massive fiery explosion.

The Stone's nowhere to be seen, the Mirror of Erised is back against the back wall instead of the middle of the room, and the only indication anyone else was ever in the room is the ashes scattered around the floor.

All the fireplaces in the school went ballistic a mere twenty minutes ago, the fires shooting upwards like geysers and terrifying students and teachers alike. Any other open flames burned a bright white and ten feet in the air easily. And now this - if they didn't know any better, they'd swear Bloom Potter had been the cause of all those out-of-control fires.

* * *

Bloom wakes up in the Hospital Wing, surrounded by candy - she eats up, accidentally ignoring Professor Dumbledore when he walks in because she feels like she hasn't eaten in weeks and needs to get some food in her _right this instant. _

She's shocked, and more than a little angry, to hear that there was no need for them to actually go after the Stone as it would've been impossible for Quirrell to get it - the Mirror was enchanted so that only someone who wanted to get the stone but not use it would get it, and he didn't think to tell anyone _why?!_ They could've been saved a nighttime of near-death experiences if McGonagall had told them that!

Deciding to ignore that bit of information for now, Bloom looks up at Dumbledore and says "Professor Dumbledore? There's something I need to ask you."

He gets a twinkle in his eye - that's supposed to be reassuring, right? - and asks "What is that, my girl?"

"Can I stay at school over the summer?"

* * *

Ron and Hermione look up as someone sits down next to them, and Hermione says "Bloom! Where've you been? The feast has been going for five minutes, and-" Ron nudges Hermione when he gets a closer look at Bloom's face, and the brunette girl shuts up.

Bloom mumbles "Not now, 'Mione…"

"What's wrong?"

She just shakes her head, a sure sign she doesn't want to talk about it. She just quietly loads up a plate and starts eating.

* * *

Hermione and Bloom are the last to get packed up in their dorm, the other girls having already left for the Great Hall a good ten minutes ago - Bloom's stalling, only half her stuff is packed up and she's just sitting on her bed with a look that says she's never going to see the room again. "Bloom? What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, she bursts into tears - which, in all honesty, is a more informative answer than a combination of words. Hermione only really gets a gasped out 'It's for your own good, Bloom!' from her roommate, and then decides there's something _very_ wrong.

She gets her out to the hall, and then tells Ron what's going on - he makes sure his dorm is cleared, which it is, and then Hermione leads Bloom in under the Invisibility cloak.

They barely make it to the train on time, but neither Ron nor Hermione care as they finally got Bloom calmed down and explaining a few things about her 'house life' as she calls it.

Once Bloom drops off to sleep on the train ride, Ron tells Hermione he's getting his twin brothers in on a plan to make sure she gets to Hogwarts next year.

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! The next chapter for this story is UP! I never did get a response on that question of mine in the last chapter - anybody want to see the first Potions class and the Hogwarts express? Say something, else it'll be up to me and my imagination to decide...along with how much i want to completely confuse Snape and bore Ron. Please review! Enjoy! **


	13. Meeting Dobby

Bloom gets into her room in a quiet fit of pure fury - the Dursleys are eating a five-course meal with the Masons, yet she's told to 'go up to your room, which you'd better be grateful for you little freak, and pretend you don't exist.' Vernon's exact words.

Well, no, she's _not_ going to pretend she doesn't exist, she's going to read one of last year's textbooks - her Charms book, perhaps.

When she looks at her bed, though, she sees a creature she's never seen before bouncing on her bed - pointed ears and nose, proportions of an adult in a body that comes to maybe her chest, and a burlap sack-like thing for clothes. "I wouldn't keep doing that. The one time I tried, I got beaten until I slipped unconscious."

The creature stops at once, a look of sheer terror on its face - which then morphs into pure awe when it focuses on her. "Bloom Potter. It's such an honor to meet you! Dobby, the House Elf, never thought he'd get such an honor - the Wizarding World doesn't know who they worship!"

Bloom disregards most of that, more than used to all the annoying hero-worship she gets anywhere in the Wizarding World, and asks "Alright, Dobby, mind telling me what you're doing here? Want to sit down?"

Dobby bursts into a round of loud sobbing at that.

Bloom starts, then says "Dobby, I didn't mean to offend you or anything, but-"

"Offend?" Dobby wipes at his nose and says "No, not offended! Never offended by you! Dobby has heard of your greatness, can sense your power, but _never_ has he been asked to sit by a wizard! As an equal…"

Bloom crosses her arms, and says "Well, then, all the wizards you've met must be bloody bugging bastards without any brains in their heads. Now, sit down and tell me what you're doing here, alright?"

Dobby nods, then sits down on her stool while she sits on the bed and says "Dobby has come to warn Bloom Potter - she must not go back to Hogwarts this year. Terrible things are about to unfold, history is to repeat itself! She must stay where she is safe!"

Bloom feels her eyes go huge in her head, then says "Dobby, listen to me. Alright? I need you to listen to me _very_ carefully. I _have_ to go back to Hogwarts. You don't know what its like here. This room? I only have it for myself because of the Hogwarts letters that were addressed to me down to the space I lived in - the cupboard under the stairs. The pigs in the form of people here, the Dursleys, they thought that people would actually do something about it if they ever found out. I can't stay here, else I'll lose my mind and possibly all control of my magic. I. _Have_. To. Go. Back. Whatever is going to happen there, it can't be worse than what I go through here every day."

Dobby shakes his head, and says "Far worse. Bloom Potter could die!"

Bloom hisses "Bloom Potter _will_ die here!"

"Why does Bloom Potter want to go back anyway?"

"I've got friends and a life there, for one. Here, I'm a damn unwanted slave - they don't want me around, yet they'll keep me around to try to work me to death. Not that it's worked in the slightest yet. You say I need to stay where I'm safe? That isn't here. Not even for a minute."

Dobby asks "Friends who don't even write to Bloom Potter?"

Bloom rolls her eyes, wondering if that's seriously the only thing Dobby registered out of all that, and says "Vernon would blow a gasket, and possibly a blood vessel or two, if I actually got a letter. I told them as much. Wait…" she gets an intense glare for Dobby, coupled with narrowed eyes, "how did you know I haven't gotten any letters from my friends?"

Dobby backs up a few paces, then says "Bloom Potter mustn't be mad at Dobby. He thought that if Bloom Potter thought her friends from Gryffindor had abandoned her then she wouldn't want to go back." He takes out a thick stack of letters, thick as his body, with a sheepish look on his face.

Bloom growls out "Dobby, give me those. Now."

"If Bloom Potter promises she won't return to Hogwarts."

Bloom makes a snap decision, and says "Fine, keep 'em. I'll catch up on everything at school. I'll just say Vernon scared away all the owls and burned the letters."

Dobby's small jaw drops, and then he looks down at the floor.

Bloom shrugs, and says "Do what you want down there, I'm staying up here until I leave for school. Dobby, I'm the stubbornest person alive, you won't convince me to stay in this hellhole."

Dobby ends up floating something on top of Mrs. Mason's head, the dessert she hears.

Bloom wakes up the next morning to see bars on her windows. _Dobby, next time I see you I'm going to MURDER you. _

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! Alright, so I'm _definitely_ doing the train ride, and that first Potions class - and I got a suggestion for Valentines Day in Year two. Pretty sure I remember that - it's when Lockhart completely, outrageously, redecorates the Great Hall for the occasion, right? Heart decorations everywhere, dwarves dressed up as cupids, all of that? From what I remember, Ron and Harry found it utterly ridiculous...and Lockhart suggested Snape make love potions while Flitwick do Entrancing Enchantments. And Harry got some singing valentines. Speaking of which, someone's going to have to help write a poem for Bloom for a valentine if it happens - I can't really do poetry, not really. Sorry. **


	14. Freeing Dobby

Bloom's tapping her foot irritably - now that the danger's passed and her adrenaline has faded, she's got a smashing headache that would've been a full-on migraine from exposure to that damned diary for a second time. And not even Fawkes is helping much, even though she's well and truly fascinated by the bird. That might be why she's so annoyed at Dumbledore, wanting to make him stop the twinkling eye thing he's doing - and then she hears the stairs start moving, it's about time they got here.

Lucius Malfoy and Dobby get into Dumbledore's office, and Lucius has a sneer on his face that multiplies a thousand fold when he sees the two human occupants of the room. "So, it's true. Your back."

Dumbledore calmly says "When it was heard Arthur Weasley's daughter was taken, the board of directors saw fit to summon me back."

Lucius's voice goes cold and smooth, as he asks "I trust the culprit has been found?"

Bloom steps forward at that point, and says "Yep. Tom. Marvolo. Riddle. Made up a title for himself based on an anagram of his name - it spells out 'I am Lord Voldemort' if you were wondering." She all but slams the cover of the diary into Lucius' chest, who then hands it off to Dobby.

He sniffs at her down his nose - how is that even possible? - and says "Well, let's hope, then, that Miss Potter here will be around to save the day the next time a disaster strikes."

Bloom fixes her gaze on him, and says "Don't worry, I will be. What's the score now? Bloom, three; Tom, zero? You'd think he'd just give up and die like he should've eleven years ago."

Lucius fixes her with a cold glare, but finds she's neither intimidated nor lacking a glare of her own.

Bloom follows them as they leave, Lucius in a cold fury and beating Dobby a bit with his cane as he goes - she very nearly knocks the cane out from his hand like she's done with items in Vernon's hand so many times before, but instead says "What, you thought I was finished? See, Lucius, I've got this little idea in my head. Born of a migraine, one born of exposure to the diary. I think I know _exactly_ what caused that migraine in Diagon Alley - something you had. Something you slipped into Ginny's cauldron at Flourish and Blotts. I dismissed the migraine at first because of being in Borgin and Burkes, surrounded by dark artifacts. At a bookstore, though?" She stalks forward, and says "You slipped the diary into Ginny's cauldron that day. You set all of this in motion."

Lucius sneers down at her, and says "Prove it."

Bloom smirks up at him, and says "Don't need to. I do, however, need to do this. Dobby, open up the book cover."

He opens it up, and finds a sock inside it. "Master has given Dobby clothes! Dobby is free!"

Lucius snarls "You've lost me my servant, Potter!"

Dobby knocks him back, shocking both Lucius and Bloom with his willingness to defend her when almost nobody else she knows has ever tried before. Ron and Hermione have, but nobody else.

Lucius scrambles up, then says "Your parents were meddlesome fools to. Mark my words, Potter! One day your going to meet the same sticky end."

Dobby suddenly freezes and scrambles out of Bloom's way as her face turns a brilliant shade of red, and she whips out her own wand while yelling "_Don't you dare talk about my parents! They died to protect me, and I'm not letting a slippery snake like yourself insult their memory!" _

_BAM! _

The next thing Lucius knows, he's flat on his back with the taste of ashes in his mouth and ringing ears - and feeling like he was cooked through, though he doesn't remember her saying any spell.

_BAM!_

He goes flying again, hitting a wall. He just manages to roll over in time to avoid a third blow - he doesn't see what kind of spell she uses, but the results are a massive hole in the wall scorched black.

For the first time in his life, he finds himself scared of a twelve-year-old. He's running through the halls as fast as he can, hoping to Merlin and back she doesn't catch up to him - judging by the sounds of explosions and shouting that follow him, his prayers aren't answered.

He'll have to send another House Elf to retrieve the cane that's got his wand in it - there's no way he's turning around for anything!

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! We've got a few more chapters to go - and, yeah, I see Bloom as being _terrifying_ even at twelve when you push the right buttons. And, as we all know from chapter 1...that's insulting her parents. Lucius is just lucky he didn't get his head taken off altogether for that comment. This one is actually right before chapter 1, even! Anyway, enjoy! more updates are coming soon! **


	15. The Dark Forest

The four pre-teens get out to Hagrid's hut with Filch and Ms. Norris, and find Hagrid still sniffling about Norbert's departure. Filch sneers at him, and says "Your still going on about that dragon? Get yourself together, man! You're going into the forest, got to have your wits about you."

Draco gulps, and says "I thought that was a joke! Students aren't allowed in there! And there are…werewolves!"

Bloom rolls her eyes, and says "Draco, look up. What's up there?"

He glances up, then irritatedly says "The moon, Potter. What else?"

"What _phase_ of the moon?"

Hermione glances up, then says "That's the second phase of the waning…_ooohhh._ Right, good point."

Draco gets confused, and asks "What? What are you talking about?"

Bloom crosses her arms, and says "Even the Muggles get this part right, Draco. Werewolves are only transformed on the full moon. That was two nights ago. Whatever else is in there, we won't have to worry about werewolves."

Filch grins nastily at them, and says "She's right. But there's far worse than werewolves in those woods."

Bloom gets handed a second lantern, and then she and Draco get paired up - Draco insists on taking Fang with, but Hagrid says he's a bloody coward.

* * *

Draco's walking through the Dark Forest with Bloom, keeping one hand gripping her lower arm - and wow, she is _extremely_ warm, almost burning hot to the touch. He said it was because the ground is unsteady - in truth, he's scared stiff and she seems to be a damn beacon of courage. Not that he's ever saying that out loud, of course.

To be entirely honest, she can probably already guess - he was picked for Slytherin before the Hat even landed on his head, she was sorted into Gryffindor. She's certainly _stubborn_ enough to fit right in there.

"This is servant's stuff! Wait until my father hears about this!"

Bloom snaps "Until he hears about how you snitched on us to McGonagall, and got _all of us_ stuck out here? Yeah, great plan. Like your _oh-so-wonderful_ father will be able to do anything about it."

Draco stops walking, noticing how the flames in the lantern flared up with her anger, and asks "What's your problem? Still on about that mirror?"

Bloom glares at him, and snaps "No, this has _nothing_ to do with what I see in the damned Mirror of Erised! My _problem_ is that you're a spoiled brat, you got us in this and now your whining nonstop about it, and the closer we get to the thing that's killing the unicorns the more my head hurts! So just shut it and let me try to think!"

Draco blinks at that last part, and asks "What? What do you mean 'the closer we get to the thing that's killing the unicorns?'"

"Exactly that. We're going to find what's been killing the unicorns. That's not a challenge or a goal, either. Trust me, I'd bloody well rather we didn't find it at all!" She staggers to her feet, clutching at her head for a moment, then takes her wand out and says "Be ready to run for your life. When I say run, just do it."

She walks on head before he can answer - her words are creeping him out to no end, even more so than just being in this forest. If he hadn't wanted to grip onto her arm before, he sure does now.

They get to a clear space between the roots of about six trees, and Draco freezes in shock upon seeing a figure in a dark cloak hunched over a bright white unicorn - Bloom was right, how was she right?!

Bloom clutches her head with both hands, despite the fact that one hand has her wand and the other has the lantern, and hisses at him "Run!" The figure looks up, and Fang runs off - Bloom yells "Run, Draco, run!"

Draco turns around and starts sprinting for his life, hearing several explosive sounds behind him. He's just run out of breath, leaning on shaking knees, when another figure comes running past - he looks up to see Bloom Potter there.

"Wow, you can't make any distance at all! I slowed him down, but come on!" She grabs his wrist and takes off running again, making him move his protesting legs again - soon, though, he's keeping pace with her somehow. He barely notices that fact though, or the detail that she no longer has the lantern yet they can see a good few feet in front of them.

They run through the trees for what seems like an hour, but it's probably only a minute or two, slide down a pebbly slope - somehow, she manages it easily while Draco nearly falls on his face - and then run across a small stream or creek before they come to a dead-end.

Bloom curses, and Draco says "Great job, Potter! Now we're dead for sure!"

Before Bloom can think of something to do, the figure corners them there, blocking their only exit from the dead-end they've hit. Bloom gets in front of Draco, quietly saying "Things are going to get hot. Stay behind me, Draco."

He suddenly realizes she's glowing bright orange - how did he not notice that before? - but before anything else can happen, a Centaur jumps down from the ridge above them and scares the creature off.

As soon as the thing is gone, Bloom moans and collapses like a marionette with its strings cut - and the glow around her has turned to orange flames, though they're burning lowly. Even so, Draco figures he might well be going crazy - so many things have happened since they went into this forest, maybe he stepped on some hallucinogenic plants or something? Oh, and his legs are aching once more - how didn't he notice that until now?

The craziness only grows when the centaur turns around and gets a concerned look on his face. "Bloom Potter, your presence is known to many creatures in this forest. The forest is not safe at this time - especially not for you. You two must leave." After a minute, he kneels beside her and tilts her face to stare into it. "But not before you release some of your magic."

Bloom grits out "Can't…destroy everything…"

Draco asks "What? What do you mean-"

The centaur says "This young woman is more than you know. More than she likely knows. She has something of a deathgrip on her magic at the moment, which is the only reason the forest is still standing and not burned to the ground. Even so, she's been pushed to her limits tonight. If she does not use some of her magic up now, she'll lose control and there won't be a Hogwarts anymore." Draco gulps, she's really that powerful?!

Bloom moans "My head's going to explode…"

"Your magic is unregulated. In time, you'll learn to do so - for now…release your hold on your magic, if only a little."

She staggers to her feet, and takes two steps - ones that leave small fires in her footsteps, which freaks Draco out even more - and says "I'll kill everyone…"

The centaur says "This is a stone quarry, there's no grass for a good twenty feet, and the stone walls are ten feet high." He looks at Draco, and says "You need to leave, though. Unless you wish to possibly die a fiery death."

Draco gulps and shakes his head - ten minutes later, he's watching curiously from the stone ledge. Bloom's still glowing brightly, but nothing else has happened yet - until fire suddenly seems to explode out of her. It shoots straight upwards like a geyser, before dying just as suddenly. What's left is surprising - some of it, anyway.

Bloom's sitting in the exact middle of a massive amount of soot and scorch marks, completely intact - there's also little plants starting to sprout up all over the stone area, wherever the fire touched there seems to be new life. Draco's never been more confused in his whole life, and that includes that day in Ollivander's when he first met the living mystery that is Bloom Potter.

He scrambles after the Centaur as he heads down, and asks "Does this have anything to do with the migraines she gets in Defense Against the Dark Arts class? Because the first time I thought she'd pass out."

The Centaur nods, and says "I'm sure it does, but that's not for me to say."

He helps Bloom to her feet, who then stumbles straight into Draco and says "Ngh…thank you…"

The Centaur bows, and says "It is my pleasure, Bloom Potter. My name is Firenze, if you were wondering. Come, I'll guide you two back to safety."

Bloom nods, then takes one step forward and nearly hits the ground again. Firenze silently picks her up and puts her on his back. Draco doesn't say a word about that - or the fact that it's a huge honor - as Bloom mumbles a 'thank you, Firenze' - instead, he asks "What was that thing? Drinking the unicorn blood?"

"Can you think of nothing? Nothing so desperate to cling to life that it would take a half-life?"

Bloom moans "I can. I dream of him on Halloween."

Draco gulps, and says "No…it can't be. He's gone! She killed him!"

Bloom looks over at him, and says "Yet everyone's so scared to say his name."

She then slumps forward, and Firenze asks "Do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

Draco doesn't hear her mumbled answer, but it seems to satisfy Firenze. He asks "What's in the school?"

Bloom lifts her head, and says "A three-headed dog, Devil's Snare, a room full of enchanted keys sharpened to a deadly point, a life-sized version of Wizard's Chess, and then the Mirror of Erised. All to keep a magic rock safe."

Draco keeps his mouth shut so as not to voice his utter shock at all that. He doesn't succeed though. "And you know that how?"

Hagrid calls out "There you two are! Firenze, I see you've met young Bloom Potter and Draco Malfoy."

Hermione and Ron run forward, and Hermione asks "What happened to Bloom?"

Bloom tiredly says "Found the unicorn. It was dead. And the thing that drank its blood."

Hermione and Ron share a look, one that Draco can't read, and Hermione asks "Is she alright?"

Firenze says "Keep her by a fireplace for tonight, and she'll recover by morning."

Bloom nearly falls flat on her face getting off Firenze, so Ron and Hermione flank her. At this point, she seems almost _drunk_ \- Draco figures it's a bit like Magical Rebound, she apparently drained herself using so much magic.

* * *

That night, Ron and Hermione have Bloom lay on the couch closest to the fireplace - she then tells them she and Draco found Voldemort, then ran through the forest and met Firenze before she nearly burned the forest down.

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! As I promised, the scene of what happens that night in the Dark Forest when they have detention! If anyone's wondering what happened to the lamp, Bloom used it to keep Voldemort/Quirrell busy. Bloom can get Draco running again because of her Healing magic - the Dragon Flame made an entire universe, it can keep an 11-year-old or two going. As for Bloom's total loss of control...I'm thinking there's a reason most people don't learn of their magic until they're teens - nobody really expects an 11-year-old to be in full control of the power that made a universe when she's had no actual training for it! Heck, the teachers don't expect the first few years to have full control of their magic! 'Underage' magic, 'accidental' magic, etc. Anyway, enjoy! Please review if you've got suggestions!**


	16. The Diary

Bloom moans and rubs her temples while sitting on the couch in the Gryffindor Common room, and Hermione asks "What's wrong, Bloom?"

"Got a headache again…remember from Flourish and Blotts?"

"Yeah. Wait, what?!"

Neville and Ron walk in, and Neville says "Moaning Myrtle flooded her bathroom, Ron and I noticed the water when we were walking by. Someone threw a book through her - admittedly, she was in a toilet when it happened…"

Ron holds up a book with a black leather cover, and says "This book, to be precise. Bloom? What's wrong?"

"Another migraine…"

Neville sits down next to her, and says "Anything we can do?"

Bloom shakes her head, then asks "Anything in the book?"

Ron opens it up, only to see its completely blank. The only writing is the name on the front, Tom Marvolo Riddle. The name alone makes shivers go up Bloom's spine, though she isn't sure why.

Bloom takes a hold of it, then the pain in her head makes her black out. She finds herself…in a vision? Everything's off-color, for one.

One person in particular catches her eye - he glances at her for a moment, instead of the people _going through her_. She spies a body on a stretcher, and goes over to see it - despite the little detail that she hears a conversation happening up on a staircase. She heads to the body as people are talking, and tries to pull the white sheet down - nope, her hand goes right through it. Luckily for her, or possibly because she was trying so hard to see the person's face, a breeze blows through the area and blows the sheet down enough for her to see…Myrtle's face.

_This is when Myrtle died!_

Bloom remembers the visions she keeps getting - the scene in a bathroom, Myrtle dying…and the boy was the one that caught her eye! She runs after him, hearing him talking to a much-younger Dumbledore - his name's Tom Riddle, she hears. The owner of the Diary, then.

"Sir, if it all stopped, if the person responsible was caught…"

Bloom gets to the staircase just as Dumbledore gives Tom a serious look, and asks "Is there something you wish to tell me?"

"No, sir. Nothing."

"Very well, then. Off you go."

Bloom practically feels her jaw hit the foundations of the school - he must've known it was him! The detail that this kid is a liar doesn't surprise her one bit - she's seen that scene of him killing Myrtle with the giant snake only a few dozen times in reflective surfaces over the school year, talked with Myrtle and gotten the story out of her, which matched the visions perfectly, so the detail that a murderer is also a liar doesn't surprise her even a little. He doesn't head for his House Common Room, though, he goes and finds a scapegoat.

Which, to Bloom's unending horror…is Hagrid.

Tom tries to accuse Hagrid and his pet - named Aragog - of killing Myrtle, but Bloom yells "No, you're a liar! Everte Statum!"

Tom's body goes flying, and the entire scene freezes instantly - Hagrid standing protectively in front of a box with a huge spider peeking out of it. Tom gets up and glares at her, and says "Stay out of this, Bloom. You can't change the past!"

"You're a murderer and a liar! I'll never believe Hagrid killed anyone when I've seen _you_ kill Myrtle time and again over the school year! Stupefy!" He gets hit, but then his body disappears and reappears behind her.

He snarls "Fine, then. If I can't convince you…I'll control you." She feels him try to enter her head - she stubbornly refuses access, blasting him with explosions of her own magic from her wand. He glares at her, and snarls "Well, you're a much more _stubborn_ girl than the last one that had my diary."

"Surprise. I'm the stubbornest person _alive._ Bastard." She blasts him again, then takes off at a run through his memories - she's not sure how she's doing this, but she's doing it anyway. She's going to find out everything she can about this bloody murderer while she can.

* * *

Draco nearly gets run over by Longbottom and Weasley as they're sprinting at top speed through the hallways - as it is, they crash headlong into him. "Watch it, you two! What, are your robes on fire or something?"

Neville grabs Ron's upper arm as they're scrambling up, and says "We really don't have time for this! Either tell us where Professor McGonagall is, or-"

"What's going on here?" They all look up to see the sought-after Transfigurations professor standing there, and both Gryffindor boys run up to her and start talking near-hysterically. Draco figures they're attempting to blame the crash-landing on him, and is quickly coming up with a rebuttal.

McGonagall says "Both of you be quiet! Now, one of you calmly tell me what's going on."

The two boys share a look, and then Ron nods and says "Bloom's unconscious."

"She's _what?!_"

Draco's offended denial of any wrongdoing dies on his lips - what do they mean she's unconscious?! Is it something like that crazy night in the forest? He can't make it out, as the two are attempting to explain near-hysterically, yet again, how she came to be that way.

McGonagall claps her hands together, and says "Boys. One of you, less-hysterically, tell me what happened. Has she been attacked by the monster?"

Ron shakes his head, then takes a deep breath and quickly says "Neville and I were walking past Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, walked through a large puddle of water, found she'd flooded the room, she gave us a book that had been thrown through her, Bloom just touched it and then collapsed, she's got a death grip on the thing, we can't get it out of her hands no matter what we try, she's like another sister to me, _just come on!_" Taking everyone else by surprise - as there's a sizeable crowd gathered by now - Ron grabs McGonagall's wrist and starts dragging her along back up towards Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

The next Draco hears of what's going on, Bloom's in the hospital wing - completely unconscious still, entirely unresponsive…and they can't get the book out of her hands. Flitwick, McGonagall, and Snape all tried, with absolutely no results - apparently, the spells they're trying aren't having any effect, they can't get her jaw open to get a potion in her, and Draco can guess his Godfather's Legillimency isn't working either.

Making what's likely a stupid decision, he purposefully gets himself hurt in his next Quidditch practice - his leg, nothing too serious but something that he can say still hurts. It works well enough that he can stay overnight - this girl is a living mystery, wrapped in an enigma, and with a bowtie of suspense. He's not wasting a chance to figure something about her out.

What he ends up figuring out is that she's glowing slightly - impossible to tell during the day, but impossible to miss at night. Not the flames he's seen dancing along her skin before, but a soft orange glow the same color of her hair.

Later that night, he wakes up to see those flames are back - dancing along her skin, licking at the air slightly. In what's probably a very stupid move, he gets up and walks over - he puts his hand over her body, and feels a massive amount of heat rising up from her body. He doesn't touch her, figuring if the magical flames are putting this much heat out then they must actually be dangerous.

* * *

About a week later, the Diary goes missing - how, he's not sure - and she wakes up maybe an hour after that, only to discover Hermione Granger's been Petrified.

At least nobody thinks _she's_ the Heir of Slytherin anymore, it's well-known that Bloom will go off on someone who calls her best friend a Mudblood. Plus, she was out of it for a few days before Granger got Petrified.

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! Only a few more chapters unless inspiration strikes me again for this one. Anybody think I should send Bloom to Alfea after everything is done for year five? Maybe I should end Tom at the Ministry? Please review if you've got suggestions! Enjoy!**


	17. Train Ride

Bloom ducks into the first empty compartment she can find, and closes every single blind in it after the door and then settles down with the textbooks she smuggled onto the train - she had them on top of the trolley, and snatched them up when the total stranger she hopes is a wizard made to take her stuff.

She opens the Potions Textbook first, as she figures that's one subject she'll need to have read up on before the class even starts - the description makes it sound interesting, but the list of ingredients and steps for a beginner's potion tells her it's going to be a lot like cooking.

_Good thing I've been cooking since I was tall enough to do so from a stool. _

She's been slicing and cooking stuff since…maybe age five, if that old - preparing ingredients honestly doesn't sound that different.

She's halfway through the book when there's a knock on the compartment door that nearly scares her enough to set something on fire. A boy with hair every bit as red as hers pops his head in, and asks "Mind if we share? Everywhere else is full."

Bloom shakes her head, then gestures for him to sit down on the opposite side.

"Thanks. I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley."

He sticks his hand out to shake hers, which she hesitantly accepts while saying "Call me Bloom."

"Nice to meet you, Bloom. Wait…Bloom, as in...Bloom Potter?!" Bloom flinches slightly, then nods her head. "Woah!"

That same awe and admiration floods Ron's voice, and Bloom inwardly groans - another unearned, rather unwanted, admirer…no, _worshipper_. All because she killed a very bad man before he could do the same to her.

"So, is it true? You ended the war?"

Bloom shrugs, then says "Apparently. Everybody seems to think so." She then goes back to her book, right up until the trolley gets to the door.

"Anything from the Trolley, dears?"

Ron nearly drools at all the different stuff on the cart in the door, especially when the smell of the enchanted chocolate hits his nose. Unfortunately, he'd have to buy the candy - good news, he's got sandwiches. "No thanks, I'm set."

"We'll take the lot!"

He looks over in shock at the girl in the compartment with him at her spontaneous outburst, and then at the stack of Galleons in her outstretched hand.

* * *

Five minutes later, they're digging in to chocolate and candy of all kinds. Blood Pops, Licorice wands, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, all of it. And he's amazed at the fact that Bloom Potter - _the_ Bloom Potter - has an appetite to match his own. She's slowed down at the moment, though, absentmindedly chewing on a Licorice Wand while reading one of the textbooks in the neat stack next to her.

She's quieter than he figured she'd be - the girl's a famous celebrity, after all! - and a lot more into a Potions textbook than he could ever hope to be. He's also pulled from his thoughts when the Compartment door slides open again, and another girl's voice asks "Have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one."

Bloom shakes her head, then says "You might try the Loo, though. Dark, quiet, damp, sounds like where a toad might go, right? If he's not there, try getting one of the older kids to use some magic to find him."

The Brunette's expression brightens, and she says "Brilliant ideas! Thanks! I'm Hermione, by the way. Hermione Granger." She sticks her hand out to shake hands, and Ron mumbles his own name from around a chocolate frog. Bloom quietly says her own first name, shaking Hermione's hand.

After a moment, Hermione's jaw drops and she asks "Bloom…Potter?"

Bloom silently nods, and Hermione tilts her head to the side and says "I take it your tired of the adoration and praise."

"Oh, _finally! _Someone actually gets it! I do _one thing_ as a toddler, which I can _barely_ remember, and somehow _everyone_ I've met in the past day or so has been falling all over themselves to get in my good graces! Honestly, I get introducing yourself, but _come on!" _She looks over at them to see Ron's got a stunned expression on his face and Hermione's got a thoughtful one.

"I'll go check the Loo's for Neville's toad, now. Oh, and you two should probably change into your school robes - I expect we'll be arriving soon." She turns to leave, then looks over at Ron and says "Oh, Ron? You've got a spot of dirt on your nose, just there. Did you know?"

Ron rubs at the spot she indicated, and is mildly surprised to find there _was_ dirt there. He looks over at Bloom, and asks "Not a fan of attention, huh?"

"No, not particularly. Add to it the fact that every total stranger I've met in the past twenty-four hours has known my name and insisted on shaking my hand, and I'm just at my limit! Everyone else asks the _exact_ same questions - how'd I kill a guy when I was a toddler and too young to reasonably remember, how much magic do I know, where've I been all this time? Honestly, I'm on the verge of making up answers to throw people for a loop and start some entertaining rumors!"

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! only two more to go unless I get hit with inspiration again - no spoilers, though! I just started a third online class today, so expect a bit longer of a delay until the first two are done - not long, though, I'm on modules 7 out of 10 on both of those. As for the story, I can completely imagine Harry getting sick and tired of answering the exact same questions time and again - groups of people in a culture tend to be rather like-minded about someone as famous as Harry is in the books. At least, if everyone introducing themselves to Harry is any example. Anyway, enjoy! More updates coming soon! **


	18. Potions Class

Bloom and Hermione are sitting together in Potions Class, and Bloom's trying to ignore the stares everyone's giving her as she thinks of what they'll need for their first potion - if they get to do one at all, it wouldn't surprise her if they went over preparation instead of doing one.

Snape strides in, giving a speech about how there won't be any wand-waving or incantations…and how Potions is a subtle and exact science, where you can bewitch the mind, ensnare the senses, bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death itself. And then his eyes land on Bloom, who's quietly writing down what he says, and adds "And, then again, perhaps some of us are so confident in our abilities that they feel they don't need to _pay attention_."

Hermione nudges her, and she looks up silently. He ridicules her for being famous - not like she can control that or make it stop or anything - then asks "Tell me, Potter, what would I get if I added Asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

She blinks, tilts her head, then says "A potion, known as the Draught of Living Death, capable of putting a person to sleep forever. I read it in the introduction of the textbook."

Snape blinks, clearly not having expected her to know the answer, then asks "And where would you find a Bezoar?"

She straights up, clearly seeing this as a challenge, and says "In two places, Professor. The stomach of a goat, and the second box from the top, third from the far left cabinet in the back of the lab."

Snape glares at her, then his eyes go wide when he processes her entire answer. His expression shows a mix of anger and surprise, and he asks "And what is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfbane?"

"The people that named the flower. Other people just call them both Aconite, but my Aunt likes to have a bunch of flowers with fancy names so she buys the expensive versions of the plant."

Everybody's staring at her in utter shock, and even Snape can't find a fault with her knowing all three answers.

He assigns them to do a potion, then goes to the back of the room…and pulls out the box Bloom indicated. Sure enough, to his utter surprise, he finds a few dozen Bezoars inside it.

He stalks over as Hermione's switching places with Ron to work with Neville Longbottom, and asks "Exactly how could you have known which box has my supply of Bezoars when you have not spent an hour in my classroom, Potter? And exactly _why_ have you obtained a new partner for your potion?"

"The box is labeled, Professor Snape. 'Bezoars' is written right on the side. And…I'm saving you some clean-up."

Snape raises an eyebrow, but doesn't ask what she means by that - in all honesty…he's not sure he wants to know.

* * *

Draco's eying the incredibly confusing girl with the mane of fire she calls hair - that's Bloom's most distinctive feature, even from afar. Even tied up as it currently is, to keep it out of the potion they're working on - and how is she slicing stuff that fast?!

His godfather seems to agree, as he walks over to the two red-heads and stonily asks "Exactly how are you preparing your ingredients like that?"

Bloom doesn't even look up at the dark-haired man as she says "I read about preparation in the textbook before we got to Hogwarts, Professor. It's just like cooking…until the potion melts something, that is."

He momentarily looks over from stirring the potion he and Pansy are working on to see Bloom moving the slicing knife in small, rapid movements - and there's something building up in front of it. A moment later, he realizes it's the ingredient they're supposed to chop up for the potion. She finishes with the knife, looks at the book for a moment, says something to Weasley who responds, then puts the full amount she sliced up into the cauldron before stirring it.

It's when Pansy nudges him sharply in the ribs that he realizes she's quietly talking to him - probably has been for the past minute or so. "Draco! Get your head out of the clouds and stir the cauldron three times."

He nods and does so, but he's still only half paying attention to the Potion - Bloom Potter's a mystery he's determined to solve, even if it takes him all year to do so. Unfortunately, he figures it'll take him _at least_ that long to figure her out, as she didn't seem too keen on opening up back in Ollivander's and just vanished on the train.

To his non-surprise, Bloom Potter's potion is perfect - something tells him things will be _extremely_ interesting since he's determined to be the best in all his classes.

* * *

Transfiguration class kills those ambitions of his - he looks over, only to see her mumbling while pointing her wand at the needle she has. She did the Transfiguration correctly the first try, then turned it back and forth for McGonagall - she's been quiet ever since the rest of the class doubled down to catch up to her, but Draco thinks they won't.

Because, as he watches, she makes the needle more and more intricate and detailed. His mouth goes dry as he watches the anti-display - she's _purposefully_ not drawing anybody's attention! - of her magical talent.

_The Hat grossly understated her talent for magic… _

When the class ends, even McGonagall's stunned speechless by the intricate needle she hands over. She stays behind after class for a few minutes, then walks out with an expression somewhere between satisfied and hungry for…more.

Draco stayed behind - only to ask McGonagall a question! - and overheard a snippet off the conversation - something about being an Animagus and them talking in year three.

That lunch, she's buried in a very thick book with an image of a person turning into an animal on the cover.

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! I read about the Transfiguration scene in other fics, and I figured it would be fun to try - as for how Bloom was already doing the Transfiguration so easily, she already has five years of experience with her magic over the other kids. For her, she just has to imagine what she wants to happen, and it happens. I read that half of getting the spell right is believing it will happen, and Bloom's basically assured that it will given everything she can already do. Anyway, enjoy! More chapters for my stories coming soon! **


	19. Flying Lesson

The Gryffindor and Slytherin First Years are standing in two lines, as Madam Hooch gives them instructions. Bloom looks down at her broom, then her hand shoots out to catch Ron's broom before it can smack him in the face. "Good catch, Bloom. How'd you know it would do that?"

Bloom just shrugs, then says "Had a hunch." She doesn't have an explanation for how she just _knows_ some things, or the dreams she sometimes has that end up coming true. Or the craziness with reflections she occasionally sees...that aren't her own.

Once they mount their brooms, Neville loses control of his and it takes him for a joyride - he ends up snagged on a large statue with a sword, only for his robe to tear and catch again on a brazier in the wall. He slips right out of it, only to suddenly stop falling maybe an inch before hitting the ground.

There's a stunned silence, and then Dean Thomas asks "Neville, mate, are you…glowing orange?"

He suddenly drops that last inch, like whatever was holding him up suddenly cut off - he doesn't have a scratch on himself though!

* * *

Draco's staring at the Longbottom boy in utter shock - first it was amusement, but then he just suddenly stopped falling a mere inch before getting hurt! Either he's got a lot of talent in him as well, or…

Draco sneakily glances over at Bloom, who he just now notices has been watching Neville's progress the entire time - she could well be the source of his sudden stopping, but she didn't say a word! She also doesn't have her wand out either, but the day in Ollivander's shop runs through his mind and says she might not need her wand.

Neville suddenly looks up, points up towards the roof, and yells "My remembrall!"

Bloom Potter says "I'll get it, Neville." She eyes it as it rolls down the rooftop, then breaks into a run after it and jumps with her arms outstretched to catch it when it falls. When she rolls over and sits up, she's _somehow_ got the object in her hands - it was headed nowhere _near_ her, yet somehow she's holding it!

There's a thick silence in the area, right up until Bloom hands the ball over to Neville - he bursts out "Thank you, Bloom! That was incredible, how did you-"

"I just saw which way it would fall, went that direction. Can we get on with the lesson now?"

Madam Hooch nods, but she's got a thoughtful look on her face. "Class? Follow me. We're relocating." She takes them to the Quidditch field, still with that thoughtful look on her face, and then has them work with the Quidditch balls one at a time.

Draco can see, right from the start, that she's trying to see just what Bloom can do - she's a natural at flying, better at it than he is…and he's been on a broom since he was _eight_.

She'd make a decent Chaser, having pretty good aim and catching skills; she can hit a Bludger hard enough for the whole class to hear the resounding crack, but she doesn't have very good aim for where the dangerous ball ends up heading; but its when she tries for a Seeker that everyone's impressed beyond words, as she zig-zags around, tracking down the multiple Snitches that were released impressively fast. The topper, though, is when she does a mid-air flip with her broom that's supposed to be a highly-advanced technique even for professional Quidditch players.

When the class is almost over, Madam Hooch seems to have made up her mind - maybe it was the little factoid that Daphne Greengrass got knocked off her broom by accident and Bloom zoomed over and caught her by the wrist then set her down on the ground with little more than a stumble. She takes Bloom away, leaving the rest of the students whispering worriedly.

Of course, at lunch she's back and looking _ecstatic_ about something. What, he's got no idea - and, she keeps turning her head to talk to her Housemates too much for him to lip-read what she's saying!

Draco eventually hears the news by accidentally overhearing a conversation between two ghosts - Bloom Potter's the new Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team!

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! Last chapter for now! If there's a review asking for something specific, I'll write it up, though. As for the story, going to be focusing more on the main story now, and I won't go into events further back than year one unless someone specifically requests it.**

**Got an idea for where the main story is headed, and I'd like some feedback before I write it all up - Bloom ends up going to Alfea after year five, and isn't the typical sparkly-happiness-all-around-good fairy. The way I see it, she's much more of a mix of 'light' and 'dark' - she's had to fight for her life year after year, after getting sent to live with the Dursleys, she's _not_ going to come out of that with a heart of solid gold. Most wouldn't, I can bet. Overall, she's good - but she's NOT going to be the type to put up with any bull - oh, and she and Sky aren't dating in this fic, as his cheating on her and Diaspro counts as 'bull' for me. I also don't see her letting a situation go for an entire year when she could just end it - aka, a repeat of her time at Hogwarts. I haven't gotten past season 4 in detail - planning - but I don't see season 5 happening for reasons. Counter-spell reasons. It'll make more sense when I get to this part of the story. **

**As a side note, had a huge scare from one of my dogs. He had an allergic reaction to the vaccines he got today, scared us all half to death. He's fine though, which is good. Really, _really_ good. **

**Anyway, enjoy! more updates on the main story coming soon! Please review if you've got suggestions or requests!**


	20. Mandrake Potting

The Gryffindor and Slytherin second years are waiting for Professor Sprout to arrive, and Bloom holds her hand up to her mouth to cover up a massive yawn - again. Ron asks "Bloom, you okay? That's the tenth one."

"I'm fine, Ron. Just didn't sleep well."

She yawns again, muttering something about freaky dreams and a giant snake, and then Professor Sprout gets in. "Good Morning class!"

Everyone responds, and then she tells them they'll be re-potting Mandrakes for the lesson. She demonstrates, after making sure everyone has a pair of earmuffs to wear so they don't get knocked out for several hours by the baby-Mandrake cries.

Hermione gets Gryffindor 10 points when she correctly identifies the properties of a Mandrake, and then Sprout yanks her Mandrake up by the stalk before putting it in the new pot and packing dirt around it so it'll stay warm.

When Neville faints, though not due to not having earmuffs on, she says to leave him be.

Everyone yanks up their Mandrakes, and the greenhouse is immediately filled with the ear-piercing shrieking of the Mandrakes - and Bloom, for whatever reason, possibly her lack of sleep, is more affected than the rest.

Though, she doesn't pass out - she gets angry.

After a minute, she yells "Alright, enough! Shut it, the lot of you! Or I'll burn you all to cinders, grade be damned!"

To everyone's utter amazement, the Mandrakes all shut up right that instant - the one in her hand actually curls up a bit and whimpers! Even the Venomous Tentacula shies away from her!

Everyone, Professor Sprout included, stares at her in shock - she looks around, and irritably says "Well, get on with it! Or are you just going to stand there until they start up with that racket again?"

She shoves her own Mandrake in the pot, and dumps a good amount of dirt in - which seems to be what everyone else needed, as the snap out of their shock and start doing similar actions.

Once she's done, Bloom kneels down on the floor and picks Neville up - he wakes up, somehow, and quickly does his own Mandrake.

* * *

When everyone's leaving the greenhouse, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan speed up to ask Bloom a question. "Bloom, you weren't actually serious about burning the Mandrakes, right?"

"I don't make idle threats, Dean. If I wanted those Mandrakes to burn, they'd have all burned."

Seamus' voice fills with awe, and he asks "How do you do something like that? I'm good at blowing things up, but…"

Bloom turns to face him, and says "Seamus, it goes like this. I get real bloody angry - about to blow a gasket kind of angry - and things explode and catch fire. Natural talent, and more than a little practice."

"_Teach me!_"

"Can you handle a little fire?"

"Absolutely!"

"Can you shoot it from your fingertips?"

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone. I know I marked this as complete, but I got an idea from the mandrake Potting scene - and, by the way, why in the world would Draco think putting his finger in the Mandrake's face is a good idea? That's just asking to get bit, which is exactly what happened in the film. I've got a few other ideas I'll write up - since it'll likely take a lot less time, and I'll need SOMETHING to stay sane until winter break, so...enjoy! As for why the Mandrake's actually stopped screaming...Bloom's short on sleep, despite her best efforts, and her temper is shorter. Ergo, her magic is right at the surface. They can tell, and they have no real wish to actually get burned to cinders. **


	21. Halloween

Everyone's in Charms class, trying to get the Levitation Charm right - well, everyone but Bloom. She's been able to levitate stuff since she started being able to use her magic at will. She's also in a very bad, sleep-deprived mood today, having dealt with the same dream she gets every year on Halloween - the flashes of green light, the dark-robed man, 'Aevada Kedavra' being shouted, what she knows now to be the murder of her parents - and doesn't want to draw any attention, not even in Charms.

They're interesting, exciting, and she loves the class - but she most certainly _doesn't_ love the whole class watching her just because she can do something almost instantly while they're still trying to get the hang of it.

Just like in Gryffindor Tower, she's an oddity in classes that aren't History of Magic - and even in there, but only because she can stay awake and takes notes - because she's so powerful, because what they're trying to learn seems to come so naturally to her. The truth is, she's been using her magic for half a decade and has gotten the hang of doing so - half of magic is believing it'll happen, the other half is knowing how to do it. McGonagall and Flitwick teach them how to do it, its up to them to believe it'll happen - and to pay attention in class, which she always does through force of habit.

She looks over, taking a break from her irritated thoughts, to see Ron Weasley - the boy from the train ride - nearly smacking the feather with his wand while saying the incantation wrong. She's amazed the feather hasn't blown up yet, or nobody's been injured, yet.

She grabs his wrist to stop the jerking movements, and says "Stop, your going to hurt someone like that. Probably yourself, honestly. Your technique is more likely to blow that poor feather up than float it, and saying an incantation wrong usually has disastrous effects."

Ron glares at her, and hotly says "Well, you do it then, miss everything-comes-so-naturally-to-me! Go on, do it! Your so much better at everything than everyone else, go on and do it!"

The class has gone dead silent, as Ron practically yelled it, and Bloom's face turns a bright red.

"Don't you _dare_ try to judge me, Ron Weasley. You think I have it _so great_? Don't assume anything until you've walked a mile in my bloody shoes!" She whirls around to point her wand at her own feather in a very angry swish-and-flick, and shouts "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" The feather goes flying up to the ceiling at a breakneck speed, but Bloom doesn't even look as she's already halfway to the doorway with an absolutely furious expression on her face.

She likely doesn't even hear Professor Flitwick award her twenty points - or him calling her name to undo the _extremely_ powerful Levitation Charm that the Feather was apparently too small to hold. The entire class-ful of stuff though, that seemed to be just about right. Including a few students.

Professor Flitwick tries to undo the Charm, but only manages to set about five items back down - to everyone's utter disbelief, her Charm really was that powerful. And it isn't breaking easily.

He gets the students back down first, then goes for the desks next - which, despite the Sticking Charms he placed on them so exactly this sort of thing didn't happen, are also floating up in the air. Once those are down, he retrieves the feathers - all but Bloom's, which burst into flames upon crashing into the ceiling at high speeds.

Draco stares at the doorway, where Bloom left, and he _swears_ he can see…a bit of ash or soot on the floor where she stepped? No, must be dust, right? Who leaves ash or soot in their footsteps?

_Well, maybe the fire-tempered girl that just floated the whole room in a snit. _

To his dismay, nobody sees her for the rest of the classes.

She isn't at dinner either, which worries Draco more than anything else as she's always at the Gryffindor table before he even gets into the hall and is one of the last to leave - never missed a meal, and usually goes for a snack between classes.

This is _wrong_, very wrong - _unheard of._ There's one thing that's constant about Bloom Potter, and its her meals - she never gets anything less than a full plate of food at meals, much less _misses_ them.

Quirrell announces to the entire hall that there's a troll in the Dungeons, which throws the hall into a panic - for an instant, Draco imagines Bloom would be the only one unfazed by that, still eating calmly while everyone else would be screaming and panicking.

* * *

Bloom's in the Girl's bathroom, having gone there because she needed to cool down and it's the one place she can think of where no prats like Ronald Weasley would barge in on her.

_Try to help the prat, and that's the thanks I get. _

Hermione - who came in when classes ended for the day - whispers "Bloom, look over at the door…"

There's a bloody Mountain Troll standing there.

They get split up after Bloom sent a fireball at the thing, and Bloom distracts the troll by jumping, waving her arms wildly, and yelling "Hey, pea-brain! Over here!"

Once Hermione's out of the way, Bloom points her wand at the club - the troll's hand slips right off, and then it stares at the club-less appendage for a minute. Bloom brings her wand down in a smashing motion - the club follows. Several times.

It's when Professor Snape clears his throat that she stops, realizing she's got an audience. And that the Troll's very unconscious.

Professors Snape and McGonagall are staring at her in utter shock, and Quirrell looks scared out of his mind. Suddenly feeling the exhaustion such a feat of magic inevitably brings her, Bloom spits out the first thing that comes to her so-much-shorter-tempered-mind. "Quick question, Professors. Wasn't this thing supposed to be in the _bleeding dungeon?!_"

Ron apologizes to her in the common room, and she waves him off and says "I'm not good company on Halloween. For a very good reason. For now…I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted. And hungry."

* * *

**AN: He, everyone! A quick update between chapters! Happy early Christmas, in case I don't update before then! Yeah, Bloom hates Halloween - i don't remember if I said that before, but she does. Mainly because she keeps dreaming the night Lily and James died. On a side-note, though, because Dudley always got to stuff himself with candy until he was nearly sick and Bloom was stuck in her cupboard every time. Gee, wonder why she wouldn't like Halloween. **

**Anyway, enjoy! More updates are coming soon! Please review! I've gotten Valentine's Day worked out - which I'd actually forgotten about, since its been forever since I read HP2 - and I nearly choked on my horror when I saw the image of Lockhart's decorations. Honestly, could the man have any worse taste in 'morale-boosters'? Despite being in Ravenclaw, he truly was an idiot. The attention-seeking idiot Snape always thought Harry was. **


	22. Valentine's Day

Bloom stops dead in her tracks upon seeing the Great Hall - what in the bloody hell happened?! Even for Hogwarts, a place where kids are learning how to change a desk into a pig like Professor McGonagall did to suitably impress her students, this is…insane.

There's bubble-gum pink flowers _everywhere_ \- honestly, she likes pink well enough, but this is _ridiculous_, especially since it isn't even a nice shade - the Professors' table is decorated in them as well…and then Lockhart comes in, explaining everything at once.

For one, he's in horrid-looking pink robes - really, does he have _any_ taste whatsoever? - and his 'morale-booster' comment to the other Professors comes back to her at once.

_Merlin, is THIS his idea of a 'morale-booster' or is he just an idiot? No, wait, it's BOTH. Bloody hell…_

She sits down to eat, already feeling a headache coming on - it's going to be a _LONG_ day, she can already tell. And it only gets worse when someone mentions its Valentine's Day.

* * *

Bloom grits her teeth as the doors slam open once more - another Valentine Delivery for someone or other, fantastic.

_I swear, if its another bloody singing one, I might just set it on fire. How is it I'm the only one bloody well over the day and it isn't even lunch yet?! Bloody Lockhart and his blasted 'morale-booster' I swear…_

Hermione nudges her in the side, and she asks "What? I was taking notes."

At the brunette's incline of the head, she looks over to see…a dwarven imitation of Cupid - really, Lockhart?! - standing next to her desk with an envelope. "Um…hi?"

He hands her the envelope, which actually _does _have her name on it - why would it have her name on it?! - before heading back out.

Hermione whispers "Open it!"

Bloom turns it around in her fingers a few times, trying to figure out if it's a bloody prank or not. After a minute spent looking at her name written on the envelope in neat handwriting, she opens it.

* * *

Draco tries to be discrete as he watches Bloom turn the Valentine around in her hands for a minute.

_Why, oh why, isn't she opening it?!_

To his relief, she does - finally! She's utterly silent as she reads the card he got her, but he can remember what he wrote word for word.

'Your hair is like fire, your eyes are like the sky. One day soon, you'll spread your wings and fly.'

He didn't sign his name, too scared she'd reject him outright if he did - she did drop the Quidditch chest on his foot after he called Granger a Mudblood, after all. He watches as she reads it - what must be at least three times, she can't possibly take that long to read a few lines right? - then carefully folds it and puts it in her bag.

He nearly misses the way her cheeks are turning red, but her flaming hair falls out of the way as she's leaning over to her bag.

And then, weirdly enough, she accidentally _burns_ her object.

Just by adjusting it, to boot.

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! I know, its been forever since I updated this story - I sorta just realized i never posted my take on the Valentine's Day fiasco set up by Lockhart. Erm…sorry! **

**At any rate, I did think the short poem I thought up for Draco to send to Bloom was cute - and he didn't know just how right he was! - but I couldn't put Bloom through a signing note. And I couldn't make Draco that suicidal - there was the chance she'd recognize his handwriting, after all. **

**As a side note...what do you all think of Bloom making a spell similar to Fiendfyre, but not Dark or out of control? I considered making it so that her control over fire renders the Fiendfyre under her control, then thought 'heck, why not just have her unleash a massive amount of Dragon Fire in a similar fashion?' Both sound rather appealing, in all honesty, and I'm considering using it for the final battle with Tommy-boy. It'd be something of a massive drain, though - all or nothing kind of deal. **

**Please review! I'd love to get some feedback on this! Enjoy!**


	23. Baby Bloom

James and Lily are walking down the sidewalk, hand in hand and enjoying the crisp night air of July 31st. Right up until they hear sirens, and see a firetruck spraying water on a burning building.

Lily's breath catches in her throat, as she realizes…that fire isn't normal. _Its magical_. And the Muggles are never going to be able to put it out.

The two of them slip inside, keeping themselves undetected by the Muggles, only to hear…crying. There's _a baby_ in here!

They find the child quickly enough after abandoning their attempts to cancel out whatever spell was used to make the flames, a small girl with a fuzz of flaming hair on her head wrapped up in a blanket. When Lily reaches down for her, the flames instantly start dying down as her cries fade.

James looks around at the dying flames, then mutters "Bloody hell, Lils…"

"James! Language!"

"Look! I think she's controlling the flames!"

It takes only one look around for Lily to come to that same conclusion. They quickly decide to adopt her, after learning of her lung capacity.

* * *

James and Sirius are playing with Bloom, who's nothing short of an adorable little angel once she realized Sirius and Remus weren't going to take her away from her new parents - who she seemed to choose all on her own, and was perfectly determined to convince them to take her with them.

Mainly, by screaming at the very top of her lungs if anyone else tried to hold her until the married couple adopted her. Once that was done, she settled right down and has hardly fussed ever since.

And she took to most of the Order members almost instantly, and has made her way into even Alastor Moody's heart. How she managed _that_ is a miracle nobody can explain even with her very obvious magic - whenever she laughs, whatever open flames are in the area will suddenly leap at least a foot higher, and if she claps embers and sparks rain down from her hands. If she wants something she can't reach, it 'mysteriously' falls from where it was…while glowing orange.

And the time Molly offered to babysit Bloom - since her twin brothers are in the Order - she and little Ron got along great…and ended up chasing Molly's twin boys around, happily setting things on fire as she went and laughing the whole time. Molly, luckily, took it in stride, put the fires out, and said she'd be happy to watch over such a happy girl anytime Lily and James needed her to.

At the moment, she's sitting between Sirius and James - who she happily calls 'Unca Paddy' and 'Pongdaddy' since they all call each other by their Marauder names - and trying to catch sparks they've conjured for her. And then she gets up on her chubby little toddler-legs and tries to jump and catch them - she's a very active little girl, they've discovered, and has chased Sirius a few times around the small house while in his dog form.

There's suddenly a knock on the door, and Remus opens it saying "It's just us! Order meeting finished, so we figured we'd drop in."

"Unca Moo!" The next thing anyone knows, there's a fire-haired toddler wrapped around Remus' legs - they still haven't gotten her to call him 'Unca Mooney' just yet, but it's so adorable that nobody actually remembers she's basically calling him 'uncle cow' instead of even 'uncle wolf.'

Remus bends down and picks Bloom up, saying "There's our little angel! Sweetest thing in the world, that's what you are." In response, Bloom wraps her arms around his neck and presses a sloppy toddler's kiss to his cheek.

He takes her back over to James and Sirius, and sits down next to them saying "Lucky you, Prongs. This sweet little girl as your daughter."

James grins, right up until Sirius says "Just wait until she's a teenager, Moony. He'll be beating off the boys with a staff in one hand, and Hexing them to pieces with the wand in his other." James' look turns horrified at the thought of teenage boys trying to get anywhere near his little princess.

Sirius says "How about we get something to drink? I know I've walked out of more than a few meetings with a pounding head. Prongs?"

Remus nods, as does James, and they summon a few of Bloom's toys for her to play with while they get some Butterbeer from the fridge. James is just saying he thought they should dress Bloom up for Halloween in a few days, even if they don't actually go out for it - and a description of how he wanted to Transfigure her clothes to look like the Muggles' Cleopatra, and how adorable she'd be - when there's a glass-shattering, ear-bleeding scream from the living room.

When everyone gets into the living room, they see Peter holding Bloom and looking _terrified_ \- understandable, given the detail that her screams can mimic the Caterwauling Charm with ease when she really tries. She's screaming bloody murder, and crying, and squirming while Peters tries not to drop her.

"I just picked her up, I swear!"

Lily takes Bloom from his hands, resulting in an _immediate_ reduction in the noise level as Lily gently rocks her. Lily flashes him an apologetic look, then quietly says "Maybe she just needs a nap. I'll take her upstairs."

Everybody nods, and James says "Sorry 'bout that, Peter. She hasn't acted like that since…well, since we adopted her, actually. Before that, if anyone tried to hold her other than Lils or I, she'd scream like that until given back."

Peters blinks, then shakily says "Maybe she just needs a nap, like Lily said…"

* * *

Lily gets up to the room she and James converted into a nursery, murmuring "Quite the set of lungs and vocal chords you got, Firespark. You about blew out our ears that time." Bloom's hanging onto Lily's shirt, her crying reduced to sniffles and hiccupping, and Lily sits down in a comfy armchair with the young girl for the moment. "Now, what scared you, huh? Did Uncle Wormtail startle you?" She stands Bloom up on top of her legs, wiping at her tear-streaked cheeks with a finger as she talks.

To Lily's utter surprise, Bloom wails "Bad man fight Daph-Daph! Scary old ladies hurt Daph-Daph! Worm feels like bad man and ladies! Worm take you and Pongdaddy away to!" She bursts into tears again, burying her face in Lily's shoulder once more.

Lily's eyebrow raises towards her hairline as she tries to make sense of all that - what they know of Bloom is that they found her abandoned in a building that was getting consumed by a raging inferno…and not much else, aside from her name and a best guess as to her age. Far as they can tell, she's _about_ a year old or so.

Her name, or what they assume is her name, was stitched in orange thread on the baby clothes they found her in, so that's what they used for her first name. This new bit of information about a 'bad man' and 'scary old ladies' and a 'Daph-Daph' is entirely new - 'Daph' could be short for Daphne, maybe, and Bloom's got a habit of nicknaming everyone she likes…

James comes up to the Nursery about two hours after Lily took Bloom up, and finds the two most important women in his life fast asleep in the comfy padded armchair Lily Transfigured just for occasions like this.

Bloom's sleeping against Lily's body, with her head tucked under her mother's chin and her arms hanging onto the shirt between them like it's a lifeline.

Lily, meanwhile, is leaning back in the chair with one hand over Bloom's back and the other holding her up. He's privately wondering just how, exactly, Lily got Bloom to go to sleep - usually, it takes Sirius turning into Padfoot and curling up around Bloom for her to settle down enough to fall asleep. Which made for some absolutely adorable photos taken in secret, as well as partially contributed to Sirius being named Bloom's Godfather.

It was also counted as a true miracle that first time, since nothing else they tried worked in the slightest and Bloom just _wouldn't_ sleep on her own.

If someone tried to leave, she'd instantly wake up.

If they all crept out under Silencing Charms or Levitation Charms, she'd wake up, _get up, and follow them. _No matter if she was in the crib or not, or how complicated the method they used to try and keep her there, she could get out in mere minutes.

Sirius eventually turned into Padfoot, curled up around her, and basically trapped her in a dog-hug of sorts by putting his head in her lap when she was leaning into his own body. Amazingly, she just wrapped her arms around his neck and went to sleep.

James instantly casts a Silencing Charm on himself, levitates a blanket over to Lily and Bloom's sleeping forms, and then creeps back down as carefully as he can without waking Bloom up. Sirius asks "Well?"

"Out cold."

Sirius blinks, and asks "Without me?" He actually sounds a little hurt at that.

James shrugs, and says "It's a miracle, Padfoot. Lily's sleeping with her, though."

Remus asks "Wasn't that the only other way you two could get her to sleep?"

James nods, and says "Yep."

Peter says "I swear, I just picked her up, I didn't-"

James holds his hand up, and says "Relax, Peter. Maybe you startled her or something. She went off like that for a while until we finally got the adoption organized. Though, why she went off now…" He shrugs, not having an answer.

"James, I swear that kid hates me. She even likes Moody, but she won't go near me."

There was that time she hid behind the Auror's wooden peg-leg a month ago. And when she hung onto McGonagall for dear life when it was just the three of them in a room together - Peter was talking theory with McGonagall for an idea he had for fighting, and Bloom seemed _terrified_ for some reason.

She's also not that fond of Dumbledore either, though she _loves _Fawkes. And…she set his hair on fire and ran as fast on her little legs as she could, ending up hiding behind Frank and Alice.

Sirius says "Once this war is over, and she's grown a bit, I'm sure she'll love you, Peter. Maybe its just all the stress?"

Remus shrugs, and says "Maybe."

Peter sighs and rubs his temples, saying "I hope so, guys. I'm gonna go back home, see you at the next meeting."

* * *

**AN: Hey, everyone! I know its only supposed to be the first and second year for this story, but i got a request for when James and Lily found Bloom and it turned into this. Enjoy! More updates coming soon! **


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